


A Starry Brush of Venetian Blue

by holdyourbreathfornow



Category: Half-Life VR but the AI is Self-Aware - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Artist AU, Autistic Tommy, Crying, Eldritch beings, Half-life reference in my HLVRAI fic, I hope that comes across, I like describing fancy clothes, Joshua gets Gordon into art after Black Mesa, Listen G-Man doesn't know any better, Minor Violence, More tags to be added, Multi, Non-Verbal, Non-human Benrey, Oblivious Gordon, Parent-Child Relationship, Post-Canon, Public Humiliation, Separation Anxiety, Teleportation, This whole thing is meant to be like a romcom movie, Title from The Real World by Owl City, Unresolved Romantic Tension, accidental child abandonment, cursing, failed flirting, formal wear, marriage proposals, mentions of amputation, months i tell you, shout out to viiperfang for helping with the title!, slowburn, this took me MONTHS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:55:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27995640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/holdyourbreathfornow/pseuds/holdyourbreathfornow
Summary: After the events of Black Mesa, Joshua gets his dad into drawing.He can't help but wonder if his dad would smile more if Joshua could find the security guard he keeps drawing.
Relationships: Benrey/Gordon Freeman, Bubby/Dr. Coomer, Forzen/Gordon Freeman (one-sided), Joshua Freeman & Benrey, Joshua Freeman & Gordon Freeman, Joshua Freeman & Science Team, Tommy Coolatta/Darnold Pepper
Comments: 183
Kudos: 478





	1. Casper David Friedrich's 'Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog'

When Daddy had gotten trapped at work, it had been the weekend, which Joshua always spent with his momma. He hadn’t even really noticed that anything was wrong until his school had to call Momma since Daddy hadn’t come to pick him up. She was mad at Daddy at first, but when she couldn’t call him or his work, she looked them up online. Joshua had watched her face go pale and her eyes get teary, and Momma had reached out to him, pulling Joshua up and into her lap. She didn’t let Joshua look at whatever she’d been reading, but she did tell him that something bad had happened at work and Momma didn’t know if they’d ever see Daddy again.

Joshua’s been taught it’s okay to cry when you’re sad, no matter what anyone else says. So that’s what he did, clinging to the front of his mom’s shirt and getting it all wet and gross with his tears. He had felt a little weird after that, feeling like the way a dead phone screen looks. But then a couple days later, Daddy showed up outside the door, missing an arm and with a lot more gray hairs than Joshua remembered him having. But that didn’t matter, because he still scooped Joshua up like he always does, crying almost as much as Joshua was. 

They stood there for a long while before Momma asked about the people with Daddy and he’d introduced Joshua and Momma to the Science Team. Dr. Coomer and Bubby seem nice enough, but Joshua really likes Tommy and Darnold and Sunkist, and he sees them a lot more since they live a couple floors down from Daddy.

Daddy doesn’t smile and laugh as much as he used to and Joshua thinks it’s because of his arm, so he cuddles with his dad a lot to see if that helps. Daddy happily takes all the cuddles Joshua’s willing to give, but sometimes Joshua gets bored just sitting on the couch. Like today, he and Daddy are sitting on the couch. There’s cartoons playing on the TV that Daddy occasionally laughs at. Joshua’s curled under his dad’s arm and pressed against his side, is doodling little stick figures in a sketchbook.

“Whatcha doin’, bud?” Daddy asks finally and Joshua leans his head back so it rests against his dad’s chest. 

“Drawing. D’you wanna see?”

“Yes, please.” Joshua hands his sketchbook over and Daddy looks over it, smiling at some of the little stickmen, like the ones arguing over a cowboy hat. “Some of these are pretty funny! Maybe someday you’ll draw comic strips.”

“Do you wanna draw, Daddy?” Joshua gently pokes him with the pencil and his dad shrugs one shoulder, taking the pencil and pressing it to the paper. There’s a short moment where he waits before drawing, but then he starts drawing Porky Pig off the TV. Joshua watches as Porky Pig appears in his sketchbook and he squeals when Daddy finishes drawing and hands the pencil and sketchbook back to him. “Daddy, you’re such a good drawer!”

“Thank you.” He looks between the sketchbook and the TV and his grin grows a little more. “Not half bad, huh?”

“We should get you your own sketchbook!” Joshua sprawls across the couch in excitement, the Porky Pig doodle still held tightly in one hand. “If you practice lots and lots, you’ll be the greatest artist in the world!”

“Hm…” His dad thinks about it, looking down at his hand and wiggling his fingers. “Alright. We can make it a day out. Maybe get hot dogs afterwards?” He grins even wider and reaches out, tickling Joshua until he shrieks. “As long as you don’t steal my fries again, you little fry thief!”

“N-n-no Dahahahaddy! I won’t t-take your fries!” Daddy’s fingers pause and he looks down at Joshua suspiciously.

“Do you promise?” He asks and Joshua braces his hands on the couch.

“No.” With that, he rolls off the couch and takes off running, giggling wildly as he hears his dad snort in shock and stand up to chase him.

-

Daddy lets Joshua pick out the sketchbook, and he chooses a thick one with a sunset on the front. He likes how it looks tucked under his dad’s arm, and Joshua also talks Daddy into buying a beret for him, so it’s basically the best day ever, even if Daddy guards his fries too well for Joshua to steal any. His dad also gets himself a set of charcoals. He lets Joshua pick one up, but when his hand comes away gross, he tells Daddy he just wants a regular pencil. Daddy says that’s just fine and even helps Joshua clean his hand.

The two of them spend the rest of the week with their sketchbooks open on the table. Joshua works on his little stick people comics and Daddy gets so much charcoal on him he looks like Santa’s younger brother who just crawled out of a chimney. Daddy laughs at that but can’t say Joshua’s wrong.

The morning before Joshua leaves his Daddy’s house, Daddy gives him a little envelope and tells Joshua it’s a drawing of him but he can’t open it until he gets home. Joshua wiggles in excitement and hugs his dad, promising he won’t peek and spoil the surprise, since Daddy worked super hard on it. Daddy ruffles his hair then hurries Joshua out to the car so he’s not late for school.

Joshua has to work real hard not to peek, and Momma notices how wound up he is when she picks him up at the end of the day.

“What’s got you so wound up, cowboy?” She asks and Joshua hugs his backpack, which is sitting in his lap.

“Daddy gave me a drawing but he said I couldn’t look at it until after school!”

“Do you wanna open it now or wait until we get home, Joshie?” He frowns as he thinks, swinging his legs a little in his car seat. 

“I wanna call Daddy after I open it, so when we get home.”

“Sounds good.” Momma grins and gives Joshua one of his toys to play with on the drive home.

Joshua feels like he’s going to shake out of his skin by the time they finally get home and Momma frees him from his car seat. As soon as his feet hit the pavement, Joshua runs into the house and tosses his backpack onto the table. As he climbs into a chair, Momma closes and locks the front door. 

Finally, Joshua has the envelope from Daddy in his hands and he carefully opens it as Momma comes to sit next to him. She watches as Joshua pulls out the folded piece of paper from inside and slowly unfolds it.

“Wow…” Momma blinks in awe at the picture and Joshua smiles so wide it hurts. Daddy had drawn him in his favorite tutu, his tongue poking out as he drew. Little stick people peeled themselves off the page and were watching as Joshua drew them. Joshua looks at his Momma, who grins. “Who knew your dad could draw so well?”

“Me! Can we uh… I wanna hang it in my room!”   
  


“I’ll do you one better. I think I have a picture frame that’ll fit that perfectly. I’ll put that in there and  _ then  _ we’ll hang it in your room. You wanna call your dad while I go look?”

“Okay!” Joshua looks at the drawing one last time before he hands it off to Momma. She heads for the garage while he goes to the super old rotary phone she has and slowly dials in Daddy’s cell number. He bounces on his feet while it rings, but soon enough it connects. 

“Hello?” Daddy asks and Joshua’s off, babbling about his drawing and how much he loves it.

“-And Momma’s hanging it up for me! She has a picture frame that fits it and everything!” Daddy chuckles and Joshua thinks that he can almost see his dad’s smile in his head.

“I’m glad you liked it so much. I think you helped me find a new hobby.”

“Do you think someday you’ll be a famous artist?” Joshua asks and his dad hums as he thinks about it.

“Well, while it’d definitely help pay the bills, I dunno. It needs an awful lot of luck and skill, ya know?”

“I have been told I’m very lucky.” Joshua tells his dad confidently and his dad hums again.

“Well, I dunno about that. I think I’m the luckiest person in the world cause I get to be your dad.” Joshua squeals in laughter at that and that sets Daddy laughing as well. “But I’m glad you liked your drawing, cowboy.”

“Will you show me all the ones you’ve done when I come back?”

“Sure! Maybe I’ll have something else you can hang in your room for you.” That’s when Momma comes back in the room with Joshua’s framed picture and a piece of chalk. She sets the picture on the table and hands the chalk to Joshua.

“Go pick a spot where you wanna hang the drawing, Joshie. Lemme say hi to Daddy.”

“Okay, Momma!” He hands the phone over and snatches the chalk, almost falling out of the chair in his haste to get to his room.

-

Daddy’s got paint on his hands when he picks Joshua up Sunday evening and Momma arches an eyebrow at it. She whips a wet wipe out of nowhere and waves it at Daddy threateningly. He hides behind Joshua, who giggles at his goofy parents.

“Gordon Freeman, either you clean your hands or I will.” Momma warns and Daddy sighs ginormously, letting his head hang low as he reaches out and takes the wet wipe from Momma. Joshua goes to hug her as Daddy scrapes the paint off his hands. “I’m glad you found something that makes you happy, Gordie.”

“Yeah.” Daddy finishes with the wet wipe and lets Momma take it from him. “Yeah, I think this is… The happiest I’ve been in a long time.”

“You deserve it.” Momma kisses the top of Joshua’s head and ruffles his hair, even as he shrieks and tries to squirm away. “Maybe you can convince Daddy to draw me something this week.”

“You know all you have to do is ask.” Daddy tells her but she just laughs and heads back to the house, watching from the doorway as Daddy loads Joshua into his car seat and the two of them take off.

“Art show, art show, art show!” Joshua chants as he takes the stairs to the apartment, his dad tagging along close behind. 

“Alright, alright, lemme catch my breath.” Daddy pants quietly as he unlocks the door and Joshua runs inside, talking a running leap onto the couch. “Ah, to be young again.”

“Daddy, you’re still young!” Joshua giggles, which turns into a squeal when his dad lifts him up and spins him around.

“And that-” he cuts himself off with a grunt as he sets Joshua on his hip. “-Is why you’re my favorite.”

“Art time!” Joshua pleads, tugging at his dad’s shirt, and Daddy nods, poking him in the stomach.

“Alright, alright, we’re going.” The apartment had been advertised as a two bedroom with extra storage space, and the extra space ended up being a walk-in closet. Daddy walks to the closet now and he sets Joshua down as he slides the door open. A lot of drawings and one or two paintings are hung up in the closet and Joshua stares around him in awe. He goes up on his tiptoes to look at some.

The drawings show a lot of different things but Joshua recognizes Daddy’s Science Team in a lot of them. But there’s an extra person drawn more than everybody else, and he looks like a security guard. He’s a little shorter than Tommy but almost twice as thick, and that would make him a little taller than Daddy.

“Who’s that?” Joshua asks, pointing to a charcoal side view of the security guard and Daddy comes over to look. 

“Oh.” He inhales deeply and rocks back on his feet a little bit. He’d been content before, but now he looks a little sad. “Oh, Joshua, you never met him.” Daddy stares at the picture, mouth twisted. “That’s just someone I hurt a long time ago. I just… Never got to say I was sorry.” Daddy blinks and straightens up, shaking his head a little. “But anyway! What do you want for dinner? You wanna go see what we have?” He leaves the closet but Joshua stays behind for an extra second. He looks up at all the different drawings of the security guard and thinks about the look on his dad’s face. Then he comes up with an idea. If he can find the security guard, then Daddy can say sorry. And if he says sorry, and the security guard forgives him, then Daddy will smile more and maybe be happy all the time.

Joshua nods to himself and leaves the closet, shutting the door behind him as he goes to help with dinner. 


	2. Claude Monet's 'Jean Monet On His Hobby Horse'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua doesn't think his dad wanted the Science Team to find out about his new hobby, but it ends up happening anyway.

The first time Daddy mentions his art in front of his friends, Joshua knows he didn’t mean to. He freezes and his shoulders tense up.

“You look like you just got gut-punched.” Grandpa Bubby tells Daddy as he plays Go Fish with Joshua on the floor. “Why are you freaking out?”

“Y-Did you not hear me talk about the art thing?” Daddy asks and Grandpa Bubby looks up at him, his brows scrunching in confusion.

“Gordon, I’m old but I’m not deaf. I heard you the first time.”

“Gordon, we’re not going to judge you for your hobbies!” Grandpa Coomer comes out from the kitchen and hands Grandpa Bubby a mug of his gross black coffee before handing Joshua a mug of hot chocolate with extra whipped cream and ruffling his hair. Joshua giggles and holds his mug close.

“Yeah, Mis- Gordon!” Tommy glances up from where he and Darnold are leaning against each other on Grandpas Bubby and Coomer’s loveseat. “You’re allowed to have- to do things that make you happy!”

“Plus it’s good for destressing and, uh, Heaven knows you need some of that.” Daddy snorts at that but doesn’t argue.

“Gordon, I would love to see some of your art!” Grandpa Coomer says and some of the others agree. Daddy looks a little surprised, but then he breaks into an unsure smile.

“Sure, okay. Maybe next time y’all come over, I’ll show you some of my art.”

“Daddy has a whole closet full of art. He’s starting to run out of space.” Joshua informs them and Daddy laughs, nodding along.

“Yeah, he’s right. At this point, I have no idea where I’m gonna put the next thing.” The conversation slowly drifts away from Daddy’s art, but Joshua thinks his dad looks a little happier now that he knows he can tell his friends about things he’s passionate about.

-

Daddy’s apartment isn’t very small, but it feels that way with everybody standing around inside. Joshua and Sunkist sit on the tile floor of the kitchen while Daddy leads the adults to his art closet.

“Holy shit.” Joshua hears Grandpa Bubby say, which is then shortly followed by a grunt of pain.

“Language!” Grandpa Coomer says cheerily. “Gordon, I, for one, am very impressed with your art.”

“Ye-yeah, Gordon, these are very good.” There’s a little bit of rustling, like some of the paintings and drawings are being moved around. “Darnold, look, it’s your lab!”

“Gordon, your memory for detail is incredible. Are you selling?”

“Uh...” Joshua can hear the surprise in his dad’s voice, not even having to see his face. “If you want it, you can just take it.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Gordon, it’s obvious you put a lot of effort into this. How long did it take you to do this?”

“About… Four hours? Why?” There’s more rustling.

“There you are. If you do about $15 per hour, then four hours of work equals $60!”

“Darnold… I-”

“If you try to give me your money back, I will make a potion of losing your voice and force it down your throat!” Darnold sounds cheery enough, but Joshua still hears Daddy gulp nervously.

“Yeah, okay. Uh, thanks.”

“Of course. It’ll look excellent on our wall, huh, Tommy?”

“Yeah, I l-like it!” Tommy looks around. “Is it okay if I st-hang around and see if there’s a pic-art piece I want, Gordon?”

“Sure, man, go nuts. I gotta get Joshua’s lunch started anyway.”

“Spicy mac and cheese!” Joshua cheers and Daddy laughs as he emerges from his art closet, followed by Darnold. The others must have stayed behind to look. Darnold has one of Daddy’s pencil pieces carefully rolled up and tucked into one of his lab coat pockets.

Eventually, after Joshua has his lunch in front of him, the rest of the Science Team comes out from the art closet, and Grandpa Coomer already has his wallet out.

“Alright, Gordon, how much would these pieces be?” Daddy does some quick math in his head before he gives Grandpa Coomer a number and Grandpa Coomer hands the money over. “You should also look into finding yourself a manager, Gordon!”

“Yes, especially since we had to bully you into taking our money.” Darnold laughs and Daddy nods, taking a deep breath.

“Do you… Honestly think I can make a career out of this?”

“You have talent.” Grandpa Bubby socks Daddy lightly on the fake arm. “Don’t be stupid and waste it.”

“Thanks.” Joshua grins when his dad does, bright and real. “It- It really means a lot.”

“Of course, Gordon! We want you to be happy. Now, then, Joshua, what exactly makes this ‘mac and cheese’ of yours so spicy?” He crouches next to Joshua’s seat as the rest of the Science Team spread out around the apartment.

-

Joshua doesn’t meet his dad’s manager, but Daddy mentions them off-handedly enough times that Joshua knows he has one. At first, Daddy’s art closet is still almost overflowing. But every time Joshua looks into the closet, more and more of the drawings are gone. The only ones that seem to still be there are drawings of Daddy’s security guard, but Joshua thinks his dad probably wouldn’t want to sell those if he felt bad about them.

The other drawings that don’t sell are drawings of Joshua but Daddy tells Joshua that’s because he doesn’t want weird people having pictures of his kid. Joshua understands that. There are some weird people out in the world, and not the good kind of weird, like Daddy’s Science Team. 

A couple months after Daddy starts selling his drawings, he sits Joshua on the couch for a “serious conversation”.

“Did I do something wrong?” Joshua asks and Daddy shakes his head.

“Oh, no, you’re not in trouble or anything!” Daddy sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “Probably shoulda led with that, huh?”

“It’s okay, Daddy, I know how you get.” That makes his dad laugh. 

“Oh, really, Mister Smart Guy?” Daddy sighs again and Joshua notices he’s nervous, so he gets up and squirms his way into his dad’s lap. This makes Daddy snort again and he sets Joshua on one leg, carefully tugging Joshua’s bandana back into place. “Anyway. I guess I should get to the point. So, as you know, Daddy’s art has been selling, uh… Pretty well? And it’s making me some money.”

“Are you rich now, Daddy?” Joshua asks and Daddy shakes his head fiercely.

“No, buddy. I’m just better off than I used to be. But that’s not the point. The point is, I could get us a house. I can get one pretty easily but I wanted to wait until after I asked you if you’d be okay with that.”

Joshua can tell his dad wants him to actually think about what Daddy’s saying, so he looks down and braces his chin on his hand as he swings his legs a little.

“Will we still be close enough for me to go to the same school? And I can still see Mama on the weekends?”

“Totally! Joshie, I was just gonna move us into those suburbs your friend Janie’s family lives in. If anything, you’ll be even closer to your school.”

“As long as we don’t live on the same street as Janie. She’d try to break in, Daddy.”

“Duly noted.” Daddy nods seriously. Joshua’s attention starts to wander and he starts flexing the fingers on his dad’s fake hand. “Any other requests for the place?”

“Yeah. I want a big tree in the back. And a tire swing that looks like a horse so I can play ‘cowboys’ on it.”

“I think I can pull that off.” Daddy grins and wiggles the fingers Joshua’s playing with. “Do you wanna draw some wanted posters for your bad guy cowboys?”

“Yeah!” Joshua throws his hands up, dragging his dad’s arm with him. He wobbles and nearly falls off his dad’s lap, but Daddy tugs him back into place, starting to laugh. “And a snack, please?”

“Sure.” Daddy lets Joshua clamber off his leg and onto the ground, swinging their hands between them as they head to the kitchen. “So for your horse, do you want me to paint it or do you wanna help?”

“Can I paint one side and you do the other?” Joshua asks and Daddy nods. 

“Yep, we’ll even make it a fun project. But for right now, go get your colors while I make our snacks.”

“Okay, Daddy!” Joshua pauses before he runs off. While his dad is distracted, Joshua hugs him around the waist, burying his face into the soft fabric of his dad’s favorite MIT hoodie. “I’m glad your art makes you happy, Daddy.”

“Me, too.” Daddy ruffles Joshua’s hair. Then Joshua dislodges and goes to get his colors like he’d meant to in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter got so much love and so many nice chapters, thank y'all so much! It's so nice and I was grinning like a fool reading your nice comments!


	3. John Phillip Falter's 'The Confrontation'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua's dad's art may be getting better and better, but with that come certain unexpected changes.

The Science Team helps Daddy move into his new house while Joshua’s with his mom. When Daddy picks Joshua up at the end of the weekend, he’s still very sweaty and doesn’t let Joshua hug him, which is good, because Joshua doesn’t want to be rude by telling his dad he smells.

Daddy’s excitement grows as the two drive through unfamiliar neighborhoods, the tall apartment buildings Joshua had gotten used to gone and replaced by short houses with trees and pretty flower beds. Eventually, Daddy turns down the music that had been playing on the radio.

“Okay, cowboy, eyes closed. I want it to be a surprise.”

“But you already showed me pictures of the house!” Joshua protests even as he plays along and puts his hands over his eyes.

“It’s the principle of the thing!” Daddy snarks back but Joshua can tell he’s smiling by the sound of his voice. Joshua squirms in his car seat for what feels like an eternity, until finally, Daddy kills the car engine. “Okay… Open ‘em.” Joshua does so and gasps.

The house is so much prettier in person than it had been in the pictures Daddy had shown Joshua on his laptop. The sprinklers are running and the yawn sparkles in the sunlight, tiny rainbows appearing and disappearing quickly as the water flies through the air. 

The house almost looks like a cottage, the walls a sky blue. There are two windows, one on either side of the main door, and the shutters look like clouds, painted white. Rose bushes bloom along the walls, roses in all different colors swaying in the breeze. 

“Daddy, it’s so pretty…” Josh says, his voice quiet with awe, and his dad chuckles.

“I’m glad you think so. Everyone else is waiting inside, let’s go take a look.” He helps Joshua get out of the car and holds his hand as the two of them head inside.

The rest of the Science Team is sitting in the living room, a couple pizza boxes open on the coffee table. They all break into cheers as soon as they see Joshua and his dad, and Joshua lets himself get scooped up by Grandpa Coomer.

“Hello, Joshua! Do you like your new house?” Joshua nods excitedly.

“Can we go look at the rest of it?” He asks and Daddy shakes his head as he collapses on the couch next to Tommy.

“Nope. First, we’re gonna eat some pizza and then you can go exploring, cowboy.”

“That works too.” Joshua accepts a plate with a slice of pepperoni as some of the adults around him laugh.

-

Some of Daddy’s pieces hang on the walls of the house, and Joshua’s hang on the fridge. Daddy had lived in the apartment for 7 years, but the new house feels more like home in one month than that old apartment ever did.

Joshua draws with some crayons, sitting at the coffee table, while Daddy cleans up dishes for breakfast. Some of his rock music is playing on a speaker, and Daddy and Joshua are both humming along. At first, Joshua doesn’t even hear the doorbell ring, but he does when Daddy turns his music down and the doorbell rings out again.

“Go to your room, cowboy.” Daddy says as he wipes his hands on a towel. “I’ll come get you when whoever’s at the door is gone, okay?”

“Is it somebody bad, Daddy?” Joshua asks even as he gets up, and his dad shakes his head.

“Nah, probably not. Just better safe than sorry, right?” He watches as Joshua goes to his room, but Joshua sneaks back and stands just behind the corner so he can see who’s at the front door.

Daddy takes a deep breath before he opens the door. From Joshua’s spot, he can see a man with slicked back brown hair and a scar over one eye, dressed in a polo, brown slacks, and shiny brown shoes. The man smiles when he sees Daddy, and opens his mouth to say something, but is interrupted by Daddy’s fist slamming into his face.

“What  _ the fuck _ are you doing here? How did you find out where I lived?” Joshua can’t see the man, who’s fallen to the ground, but he does hear him start talking, sounding like he’s suddenly got a very bad cold.

“Mr. Freeman, please! One of my people got in contact with your manager!”

“And they fucking told you where I lived?” Daddy still sounds angry, and takes a threatening half-step forward, so he’s standing in the doorframe. “I should kill you.”

“W-wait, wait, wait.” Desperately, the man climbs to his feet, blood dripping from one corner of his mouth. “Mr. Freeman, I’m not with the military anymore, I’m-”

“That doesn’t change  _ shit _ .” Daddy hisses and Joshua thinks to himself that this is one time he isn’t going to make Daddy put money in the swear jar. “Especially considering it was you and your little team who cut off my arm.”

“Wh-what?” The man stammers. He looks down at where Daddy’s prosthetic has his blood on it. “Mr. Freeman, I-I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.” Slowly, the man’s hands lower and he starts to turn away. “I absolutely understand why you didn’t want me here. I’ll be on my way.” There’s a long moment of silence and Joshua sees Daddy’s shoulders hitch up to his ears.

“Wait!” Joshua can’t see the man, but he’s sure he turns around at the sound of his dad’s voice. “...Why did you come here, Forzen?” 

“Ah… Yes. I quit the military after Black Mesa. It was just… I thought I’d be doing something good. But I wasn’t. And this only proves it. I’m working for my family now. We, uh, run an art gallery in New York City. That’s why I got in contact with your agent. We want to have a showing of your art.”

“Wh-wait, are you serious?” Daddy leans forward a little, one arm braced on the doorframe. Joshua sees the man’s-Forzen’s shoes come back into view, his arm holding out some kind of card that Daddy takes.

“Just call my people. We’ll arrange the whole thing, your show, your lodging, everything. And no amputation this time.” Forzen tries to laugh a little but it dies off when Daddy only continues to stare down at the card he’s been given. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Freeman.”

“Gordon.” Daddy looks up and looks at Forzen. “I’m working with you now, you can call me ‘Gordon’.”

“Well, thank you… Gordon.” The shoes leave once again and Daddy shuts the door, turning and pressing his back to it. Joshua can’t wait any longer and comes squealing out from his hiding place, letting his dad catch him and scoop him up.

“And how long were you listening in, you little scamp?” Daddy asks but Joshua only clutches at his shirt.

“A show, Daddy! You’re gonna do a show! With lots of fancy New York City people!”

“I am, aren’t I?” There’s another long moment of silence before Daddy also breaks into laughter and cheering with Joshua, spinning the two of them around the living room until he lets them both drop onto the couch, Joshua held to his chest. “How did we get here, Joshie?”

“We live here, Daddy.”

“Who taught you to be so stinkin’ sarcastic?” Daddy asks, his voice raised over Joshua’s shrieking as he tickles him ruthlessly. Joshua tries to squirm away but eventually Daddy stops and lets Joshua catch his breath. “...God, I didn’t even ask him when the show was. It might be when your mom’s working.”

“Can I go to New York with you?” Joshua asks and starts pouting when his dad shakes his head.

“The art crowd’s known for being a little snobby, cowboy. I don’t want any of the big, important art people to say something mean to you and then have to get beaten up.”

“I could beat them up so you don’t get in trouble!” Joshua suggests and while that makes Daddy laugh, he’s still shaking his head.

“Nuh-uh, cowboy, save the bar fights for when you’re a sheriff in the Wild West.”

“But Daddy, you’re gonna be in some big, scary place all alone with the art man!”

“Your dad’s a tough dude. I’ll handle myself just fine, okay? And I’ll even call you every night so you know I’m not scared without you there to protect me.”

“...Alright, if you have to.” Joshua clings to his dad, who rubs Joshua’s back soothingly.

“Hey, if everyone else says yes, what do you think about having the Science Team over for dinner tomorrow?”

“Yeah!” With that, Joshua’s a lot happier and lets his dad turn on the TV and settle both of them onto the couch for a nap.

After all, if Joshua can’t convince Daddy to let him go too, maybe the Science Team can help him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear, you are all so nice to me and this fic! I appreciate the love and support so much and hope you liked this chapter just as much as the previous two!


	4. Domenico Ghirlandaio's 'An Old Man and His Grandson'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua's dad breaks the news of his exhibition to the Science Team and gets ready to leave on his trip.   
> Joshua doesn't want him to leave.

“You’re so squirmy today.” Grandpa Bubby grouses as he holds Joshua upside down and shakes him a little bit. “How much sugar did your dad let you have?”

“None!” Joshua laughs and Bubby turns him back right side up, making eye contact and squinting dramatically.

“Somehow, I don’t believe that.”

“Gordon, I think our dear professor is insinuating that you’re a bad father!” Grandpa Coomer calls to Daddy, who’s at the front door petting Sunkist, and he looks up.

“He better not be. I’ll take away babysitting privileges.”

“I didn’t say sh- anything!” Bubby holds Joshua out towards Coomer, and Joshua obligingly pokes at Coomer’s metal arm. Coomer reaches out and takes Joshua so Bubby can settle onto the couch before Joshua’s set down between the two of them.

“Gordon, I uh, appreciate get-togethers as much as the next guy, but wasn’t this one called a little suddenly?” Darnold asks as he takes Tommy’s jacket and Joshua can’t stop himself from wiggling in excitement.

“Does anyone want anything to drink before I-?” Daddy starts to ask and Joshua makes an angry noise at him. His dad laughs at that and claps his hands together. “Okay, okay, straight to business. I’m doing an art show in New York City!”

“HOLY SHIT!” Bubby yells and Daddy points at the swear jar, even as Coomer almost lifts him off the ground with the force of his hug. Bubby rolls his eyes but obligingly goes to put a dollar in.

“S-s-so how did this happen?” Tommy asks and Coomer sets Daddy down so he can talk.

“Well, the gallery I’m doing the show with got in contact with my agent and… Well, let’s just say an old friend showed up at my front door.” When everyone gives him a confused look, Daddy’s mouth twists into an uncomfortable grin. “Forzen rang my doorbell.”

“Wh-did he try to hurt y-you? How did he even find you?” Tommy asks and Daddy shakes his head.

“No, he didn’t have the chance to try to hurt me. I, uh, ended up punching him in the mouth.”

“Good.” Bubby spits and lifts Joshua up to settle him on his hip. “I would’ve set the bas-” He catches himself before he can curse again, Joshua giggling. “-Bad guy on fire.”

“Gordon, perhaps we should install some more proper security measures for your house.” Coomer looks a little worried but Daddy shakes his head. 

“No. I already got a new manager and I can take care of us just fine.”

“I’m still going to, uh, set up some more cameras j-just to make sure the two of you s-s-are safe.” Tommy and Coomer move out of the living room and Daddy walks over to Bubby, letting Bubby hand Joshua over.

“Do you think I’m being stupid about this?” He asks and Bubby arches an eyebrow at him.

“Gordon, I think you’re stupid about a lot of things.”

“Not what I asked at all-” He starts, but is cut off when Bubby continues talking.

“If you really believe you can defend yourself and Joshua fine, then I believe you. On the other hand, if I ever trust Forzen again, then I have a feeling it’ll end with you losing another limb, and I won’t be responsible for that again.”

“...I guess I understand that.” Daddy sighs again as Tommy and Coomer walk back into the living room, looking a little calmer. Or Tommy does. Coomer still has the same casual smile. “My only real worry is that the trip’s in a month, during my time, and Josh’s mom is out of town on a conference, so-”

“Gordon, Bubby and I are going to try and break the bank at every casino in Vegas, so we can’t watch him!”

“D-Darnold and I could, uh, watch him for you, Gordon!” Tommy turns to Darnold. “That’s fine, right, Darnold?”

“Yeah, sure! We really haven’t got anything going.”

“I wanna go with you.” Joshua balls his fists in his dad’s shirt. Daddy bounces him a little, and Joshua kind of feels like he’s being babied, which he doesn’t like.

“I know, cowboy. But I promise I’ll call you every night and Darnold and Tommy are going to hang out with you, and you’ll have lots of fun.”

“...You’ll call every night?” Joshua hates how his voice quivers a little, and Daddy pulls him closer, letting Joshua hide his face in his shirt.

“Any time you’re worried about me or scared about something or even just bored, if I see your name on my phone, I will drop whatever I’m doing and pick up. I pinky promise.” Joshua turns his head and lets go of Daddy’s shirt with one hand just long enough to hook their pinkies.

“I trust you.” Joshua whispers, just loud enough for his dad to hear, and Daddy grins, gently knocking their heads together.

“I’m glad.” He lifts his head from Joshua’s and looks at the rest of the room. “Now, whose turn is it to choose dinner?” The room dissolves into yelling and arguing, and Joshua giggles as he lifts his head from his dad’s shoulder.

-

Daddy’s talking to Tommy and Darnold, and Joshua knows it’s the perfect time to strike. Daddy’s suitcase is open on his bed, and Joshua pulls out all of his dad’s pajamas, squirming into the spot where they were and pulling the biggest sleep shirt over him like a blanket. His little Woody plushie is clutched to his chest, and Joshua squeezes his eyes shut as he listens to his dad talk.

“-okay, and he likes to get up on Saturdays and have pancakes for breakfast, but he won’t eat them on any other days ‘cause it’s a special occasion thing.”

“Right. Tommy, you got that, right?” Over the sound of a pen scratching on paper, Joshua hears Tommy hum in agreement.

“Uh, I think that’s everything. Oh, you know about the drawing hour?”

“Yes.”

“And Imagine Dragons-”

“Playing when he does his homework, yes.”

“And no-”

“Yogurt because he doesn’t like the texture, yes. Gordon, you’re going to miss your flight.”

“H-he’s right, Gordon. Y-you can text us anything you forgot!”

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m just… Worried. Where’s Joshie?” 

“I think he’s still asleep. Gordon, we’ll tell him you left.” The footsteps move into the room and Joshua tenses up when he hears them pause.

“Still asleep, huh?” Daddy whips the sleep shirt aside and Joshua cries out in surprise and disappointment. “Howdy, Sheriff Stowaway.”

“Hi, Daddy…” Joshua mumbles from where he has his face hidden against his Woody toy, and clings as much as he can when Daddy pulls him out of the suitcase. 

“I know you wanna come with, buddy, but I just want you to be safe, okay? Darnold and Tommy are gonna take great care of you, and they know all the routines and stuff.”

“What if you don’t come back?” Joshua sniffs and Daddy drops to the floor, pulling Joshua into as tight of a hug as he can.

“I’m gonna. I’d bring you with me if I could, cowboy, you  _ know  _ that. But Forzen didn’t buy two tickets and we already made plans for you to stay here. When I get back, we’ll take a trip just the two of us, okay? The one good thing about this is I’m gonna have a lot of extra money to spend on you!” He pokes at Joshua’s stomach and even though Joshua’s still sniffling, he giggles and squirms away.

“I’ll keep the fort safe, Sheriff.” Joshua tells him and Daddy nods, pressing a kiss to his hair. 

“I know you will, Deputy.” When the two of them get to their feet, Joshua goes to Tommy and Darnold gives Daddy his suitcase.

“We packed it for you while you were talking. Ready to go?” Tommy scoops Joshua up and Daddy comes over to kiss Joshua’s forehead and ruffle his hair one last time before he nods.

“Okay, now I’m ready. Be good, Joshie.”

“Love you, Daddy.” 

“Love you too, cowboy.” With that, Darnold and Daddy head for the airport and Tommy carries Joshua to the living room, setting both of them down on the couch.

“Okay, Joshua, is there- do you wanna play a game? Like Sorry or Scrabble or something?” Joshua shakes his head and plays with the lapels of Tommy’s lab coat, trying his best to not start crying. Tommy nods and leans forwards just far enough to grab the remote for the TV, turning on some cartoons and dragging a blanket over both of them. “Well, let’s just watch some- uh, I like Flintstones, so I thought we could watch cartoons until Darnold gets back and then have dinner, I’ll make sandwiches and we can make s’mores.”

“I like s’mores.” Joshua mutters and curls in a little further so he’s comfortable.

-

When dinner’s done and Tommy and Darnold are doing dishes, Joshua finds one of his dad’s notebooks on the floor next to the bookshelf and carefully picks it up. Daddy always tells him about how wrinkled pages aren’t good, and Joshua smiles a little when he sees none of the pages are wrinkled. 

“What’ve you got, Joshua?” Darnold asks and Joshua waves the book a little bit.

“I found one of my dad’s sketchbooks.”

“Oh, okay! Did- was he supposed to take them all with him?” Tommy asks Darnold, who shrugs. He turns back to the dishes and Joshua thinks he isn’t supposed to hear what Darnold says next.

“Just let him have this. Maybe he won’t miss his dad as much.” The two of them are quiet and Joshua goes to curl up on the couch, almost hidden in a blanket as he slowly flips through the pages of his dad’s art.

He could’ve done that all night, except for the fact that Darnold’s phone starts ringing a couple hours later, as he and Tommy are sitting on the couch with Joshua and watching a movie.

“I gotta take this. Don’t you two go anywhere.” He winks and Joshua manages to laugh a little at that, while Tommy just rolls his eyes fondly. Neither of them really say anything after Darnold leaves the room, but Joshua scoots across the couch and lets Tommy look over his shoulder while he keeps flipping through the pages.

“S-so… Whose-which one of you started the whole drawing thing? It l-Looks like you’re following in Gordon’s footprints, uh, footsteps.”

“I wanted to cheer him up.” Joshua mutters but sniffs as he closes the book and sets it as far away from himself as he can without moving away from Tommy’s side hug. “I wouldn’ta done it if it meant Daddy left like this.”

“He wanted you to come.” Tommy tells him and Joshua huffs. “Josh, he really did. But, uh, back in Black Mesa, Forzen wasn’t always… Friendly.”

“Daddy thought Forzen was one of the people that took his arm.”

“While it may have not been Forzen specifically, he worked with the people who did. And, uh, in my personal opinion? Once a bootboy, always a bootboy.” Tommy looks down at Joshua. “Your dad’s a strong guy, he can take care of himself and fight off any of the bad guys. But you matter more to him than- he would do anything for you. He didn’t want you to come in case Forzen’s still a bad guy.”

“I guess I get that.” Joshua mutters but it’s still a little bitter. Tommy inhales like he’s about to say something else but Darnold reemerges from the back room, looking frazzled.

“Tommy, is your dad busy?” 

“H-he… I don’t think so? What’s-”

“Ask if he can watch Joshua for tonight. They need us at Black Mesa.”

“Wait, what?” Joshua asks and Darnold shrugs apologetically.

“I’m really sorry, Joshua. But something’s happened and they requested both me and Tommy.”

“But-!” Before Joshua can say anything else, Tommy stands up from the couch and pulls his own phone out. 

“I’m real sorry, Joshie. But this is important. I’ll be right back, okay?” Both the adults leave the room and Joshua reaches over to where his dad’s notebook is still sitting. He picks it up and hugs it to his chest. 

Everyone’s leaving today, it feels like, and Joshua knows he’s supposed to be a big boy, but right now, he just breathes in the smell of metals and pencils his dad left on the notebook and tries not to cry.

“Okay.” Darnold comes out again and Joshua’s head snaps up. “Okay, so Mr. Coolatta is going to watch you for tonight and we’ll pick up McDonald’s for breakfast when we get back. Does that sound good?”

“Can I have pancakes?” Joshua asks, still sniffing, and Darnold nods with a small smile.

“We don’t want to leave. We just wanna keep people safe, and if they need us, then they need us. Mr. Coolatta’s nice, you’ve met him before.”

“I want my dad.” Joshua mutters.

“Yeah. I can’t blame you for that. Your dad’s one cool dude. Makes everyone else look lame. Except for you, of course. Cowboys are automatically super cool.”

“Maybe we’re the same level of cool.” Joshua tries to smile and it comes a little easier when that makes Darnold laugh.

“H-he’s outside.” Tommy comes out from the back room and just as he does, the doorbell rings. Mr. Coolatta stands in the doorway, carefully looking inside and smiling at Tommy.

“Hello… Thomas. I understand you. Have an emergency?”

“Yes, thanks for- thank you so much for this, I- it really c-came out of left field.”

“Don’t fret. After raising you… I think I am equipped to handle. A boy as polite as Joshhhhhua.”

“Hello, Mr. Coolatta.” Joshua says over Tommy’s joking scoff. He gets up from the couch and walks over. Tommy’s dad waves at him. Then Joshua turns and looks at Darnold and Tommy. “Do you need to go now?”

“Yes, we do.” Darnold ruffles Joshua’s hair. “Hey, we’ll be back as soon as possible. Then we can have pancakes.”

“Okay.” Mr. Coolatta and Joshua stand awkwardly next to each other by the front door as it shuts after Tommy and Darnold. There’s a long moment of silence before Joshua turns and crawls back onto the couch.

“You. Seem upset.” Mr. Coolatta says after a moment and Joshua hesitates before nodding his head. “Issss it. About your father, Mr. Freeman?”

“I wish I could be with him.” Joshua mutters and folds his arms over his chest with a huff. “Everybody’s leaving and I’m stuck here. It’s stupid.”

“That does sound. Frustrating.” Mr. Coolatta tilts his head at Joshua. “Why did your… Father prevent you from going?”

“I don’t have any school stuff but he thinks Forzen might try to hurt me and he’s stressed about his art show and a bunch of other stuff I can’t remember.”

“That doesn’t seem. Conducive to a… Celebratory trip. Perhapsssss it would be better… If you were there?”

“Forzen only gave Daddy one ticket. And his flight left forever ago.” Joshua throws himself down onto the couch dramatically. When he pulls his hands away from his eyes, Mr. Coolatta is standing across the coffee table from him, staring at him unblinkingly.

“If. I wassssss able to safely get you to… Your father, I think you. Would both be much happier.”

“I know I would!” Joshua sits up quickly, hands on his knees, and Mr. Coolatta nods.

“Well, then. Perhapssss you should pack a… Bag so you are prepared for your trip.” Joshua grins and throws his hands into the air with a cheer as he rolls off the couch and runs to his room. 

He’s been going back and forth between his mom and dad’s houses long enough that Joshua is pretty dang good at packing, if he does say so himself. Daddy mentioned that the whole trip was going to take about four days, so Joshua packs all the clothes he needs, along with Daddy’s extra sketchbook and his Woody plushie. He also puts on his thickest winter coat just in case New York is super cold. With that, he swings the full backpack on and walks back out into the living room, where Mr. Coolatta’s poking at the air fryer with a look of confusion.

“It’s for food.” Joshua tells him and a little of the confusion goes away.

“There seem to be… More ways to cook food than there are. Stars in the sky. Are you ready to… See your father, Joshua?”

“Yes, please!” Mr. Coolatta holds his hand out and Joshua walks over, taking it in his.

“Close your eyesssss. It might get… Cold.” Joshua covers his eyes with the hand not held by Mr. Coolatta and suddenly a wind kicks up around them, playing with Joshua’s hair and making his cheeks hurt a little. When it finally dies down, Joshua lowers his hand and looks around in wonder.

The buildings around him are so tall they almost block out the sky, which is a dark enough blue that Joshua remembers it must be night time here. People bustle around, but they walk in a wide circle around Joshua and Mr. Coolatta without seeming to realize they’re doing it. Joshua lets Mr. Coolatta’s hand go and the man turns to look at him.

“I trust… You to be able to find your father. From here. Have fun… Young Joshua.” Before Joshua can say anything, Mr. Coolatta blinks out of existence.

None of the people walking around him really seem to notice that he’s standing there, looking a bit lost, so Joshua shrugs his backpack a little higher onto his back, takes a deep breath, and sets off to find a police station that can call his dad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone was very excited to see Forzen in the last chapter lol! I'm glad y'all liked that. He isn't here this chapter, but we're finally starting to get to the main part of the story and it gets... A lot longer from here. Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter as well!


	5. Georgia O'Keeffe's 'New York Night'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua's alone in New York City just as the sun's starting to go down.  
> Luckily he finds his dad quick enough.

After the sun sets a little further, the street lamps around Joshua flare to life suddenly. He flinches a little, but at least that makes things easier for him to see. The crowds are still just as thick, but Joshua walks through them easily, squeezing between people’s legs and trying his best not to elbow anyone too hard.

He doesn’t know where the police station is, and he’s been taught to not talk to strangers, so he’s too nervous to ask anyone around him. Joshua’s about to start panicking when he sees a man in a white helmet and dark sunglasses taller than everyone else. He pushes through the crowd and almost falls backwards when he comes face to face with a horse. It towers over him, occasionally huffing out hot breaths that fog in the night air.

“Can I help you, kiddo?” The man riding the horse asks and Joshua looks up at him, eyes wide with wonder.

“Are you a cowboy?” The man’s eyebrows lift over the frames of his sunglasses and he looks at Joshua a little closer.

“I’m guessing you haven’t been to New York City before?”

“No.” Joshua shakes his head. “Um, I’m trying to get to a police station so they can find my dad.”

“Smart boy.” The man slides off the horse and Joshua catches a glimpse of the badge on the man’s shoulder and he relaxes. This man’s a cop, not some weirdo just riding a horse around New York. “Listen, kiddo, I can give you a ride to the nearest station so they can call your dad. You ever ridden a horse before?” Joshua shakes his head and the man grins. “I think you’re gonna like it.”

-

The benches in the police station aren’t the most comfortable, but Joshua had found enough change in his pockets to get some M&Ms, so all in all, he’d say things work out in his favor. The receptionist keeps a watchful eye on him as he sits on the bench, and he waves at her. She softens a little and waves back before going back to her typing.

“Joshua!” A voice calls and Joshua slips off the bench as his dad comes rushing in through the front door, looking frazzled. He sighs when he sees Joshua and drops to his knees, letting Joshua run forward and throw himself into his dad’s arms. “Jesus Christ, how did you even get here?”

“Tommy’s dad helped me!” Joshua chirps and Daddy just sighs, standing with Joshua still in his arms. The receptionist looks at Daddy’s driver’s license and asks Joshua if he knows this man before she lets them both go.

“I’m happy to see you, Daddy.” Joshua says, a little quietly in case he’s in trouble, but Daddy grins, even if it’s a little tired.

“I’m happy to see you too, cowboy. Even if I wasn’t expecting it.” He waves down a taxi and helps Joshua get inside before giving the driver an address. “So Tommy’s dad teleported you here and just left you on the street?”

“Uh-huh.” Joshua watches the buildings and neon signs blur outside the window, leaned back against his dad’s side. “He let me pack a bag first.”

“Oh, how kind of him.” Daddy presses a kiss to Joshua’s head and Joshua laughs. “Sh-crud, we need to call your mom when we get to the hotel. Hopefully she doesn’t freak out too bad.”

“Is the hotel super fancy, Daddy?” His dad winks at him and looks out the same window as Joshua.

“It’s definitely nicer than any of the hotels we’ve stayed in before, that’s for sure.”

-

Joshua thinks Daddy was underexaggerating, just a little. The room they’re staying in is more like an entire floor, and it’s at the very top of the building. Joshua gasps with delight as soon as the hotel room door opens, and Daddy laughs behind him as he runs to the window. It’s tall enough to be the entire wall, and Joshua looks below them at all the other buildings and the tiny cars racing past.

“I didn’t know Forzen was  _ rich _ rich, Daddy.” He says, turning away from the window, and Daddy nods as he pulls his phone out.

“Yep. Apparently his family is from some old money.” The phone starts ringing and Daddy waves Joshua over to where he’s sitting on the couch.

“Hello?” Momma’s voice comes over the speaker as she answers.

“Hi, Momma!”

“Hi, Joshie! How- Wait a second.”

“So there were some teleporting shenanigans.” Daddy tells her and Momma busts out laughing.

“Why am I not surprised?” She asks and that makes Daddy laugh as well.

“Yeah, so I just wanted to let you know before I got them to send Joshua back home.”

“I don’t see why you have to.” Momma says as Joshua leans on his dad and does his best puppy eyes. “You know, since both of us are out of town. Plus, it’ll be a nice little vacation! You two can be tourists and wear Hawaiian shirts and fanny packs.”

“That’s not happening.” Daddy tells her with a laugh. “I like to think I have a little more dress sense than that.”

“Eh.” Momma keeps talking over Daddy’s offended noises. “Just make sure to take lots of pictures for me so I can be a tourist vicariously through you two.”

“Will do. Wanna talk to Joshie?”

“Yes, please.” Daddy hands the phone over and Joshua chats with Momma for a little bit. She mostly reminds him to brush his teeth and have fun, and he promises to. When she says goodbye and hangs up, Joshua hands the phone back to his dad and leans into his side. 

“We’re in New York.” Daddy says finally and grins down at Joshua. “Which means we need a true New York style dinner.”

“Like what?” Joshua asks and Daddy heaves himself up from the couch, going to the little table where the phone for the hotel is sitting.

“Well, cowboy, one of the things New York is most famous for is this thing called deep-dish pizza. So I’m thinking that and a couple milkshakes.”

“Works for me.” Joshua tells Daddy, who laughs as he picks up the phone and starts dialing.

“You know, somehow I had a feeling that that was what you’d say.”

-

It takes about half an hour for the food to arrive, which gives Joshua time to run around and look in all the rooms. The bathroom has a jacuzzi tub almost taller than Joshua, and he’s pretty sure he’s gonna need some climbing gear to get into the bed when he goes to sleep.

Soon enough, though, the doorbell buzzes and Joshua tags along as Daddy goes to answer it.

“Hello.” The girl delivering the pizza smiles, but it grows a little more when she sees Joshua standing behind his dad. “Hi, there!”

“Hello.” Joshua says quietly, a little shy.

“Your son’s cute.” She tells Daddy as she hands the pizza and milkshakes over. “Are the two of you on vacation?”

“Yes, it’s our first time here.” Daddy tells her and the girl’s eyes widen.

“Oh! If you’re looking for something to do, I have some brochures for some of the more touristy stuff on me!”

“That would be brilliant.” She hands them over along with a paper for Daddy to sign. He hands the brochures off to Joshua and smiles at the lady again. “Thank you, we really appreciate it!”

“Sure! You two have a great stay.” She takes the bill from Daddy and waves to Joshua one more time before Daddy closes the door and carries the pizza to the kitchen.

“Alright, Sheriff, since you’re a bit of an unexpected guest, I think the polite thing to do is to let you pick the movie. Sound good?”

“Toy Story!” Joshua cheers as he sticks a straw into his milkshake.

“Now why am I not surprised?” Daddy asks, but he’s still smiling, so Joshua thinks he doesn’t really mind.

-

They’re almost done with the second Toy Story movie, both Joshua and his dad half asleep, when Daddy’s phone starts ringing again. Daddy grunts in confusion and pauses the movie before putting the caller on speaker.

“H’lo?”

“M-M-Mr. Freeman!” Tommy’s voice comes through the line, sounding panicked and close to tears. Daddy sits up and leans in towards the phone.

“Tommy, what’s wrong?”

“We were- I promise we were only gone for a couple hours! There was a w-work emergency and-”

“Breathe, Tommy. I promise I won’t be mad, okay? Just tell me what happened.”

“Joshua’s gone!”

“Oh.” Daddy looks between Joshua and his phone a couple times, before he sucks air in through his teeth. “Tommy, bud, I promise it’s okay.”

“...Hi, Tommy.” Joshua mutters when Daddy nods at him, and there’s nothing but silence on the other end of the line for a long moment.

“Tommy?” Joshua hears Darnold’s voice come from the background, sounding worried.

“H-how did he get up there?” Tommy asks, voice quiet.

“Your dad teleported him up here and he found his way to a police station.”

“...Why am- I don’t know why I never even-! Darnold, can you take the phone? I need to call my dad.”

“Sure?” There’s some sounds of fumbling during which Daddy ruffles Joshua’s hair, probably more out of habit than anything. “Uh, hello?”

“Hi, Darnold!” Joshua calls.

“Oh, Joshua! You had us very worried! We’ve been looking for you for hours!”

“I’m sorry-” Joshua starts to say but Darnold interrupts him.

“Hey, it’s not your fault. Tommy’s dad helped you do what you wanted to do, and it wasn’t your responsibility to tell us what he did. He’s an adult…Probably the most adult out of all of us, in terms of years.” Joshua and his dad laugh at that.

“Hey, Darnold, Tommy can teleport too, right?”

“Yes, he can! He’s a bit-” Darnold pauses and Joshua can barely hear Tommy talking rapidfire in the background. “Yeah, he’s a bit busy right now, though.”

“That’s alright! What I was going to say was that once Tommy’s done with his dad, you two could pack a bag and teleport here? There’s a couple extra rooms in this hotel… Floor and I thought you guys would enjoy a vacation!”

“Oh, that sounds like fun! I’ll ask Tommy and let you know, Gordon.”

“Take your time. I don’t know… How long he’s gonna take.”

“That makes two of us.”

“Thanks for watching me, Darnold!” Joshua leans in closer to the phone and Darnold chuckles.

“You’re welcome, Joshua. Hopefully we’ll see you soon.” Daddy ends the call and looks around the living room, at the pizza box, napkins, and empty cups strewn about.

“Well, kid, while we wait for an answer, I think we’d better do some cleaning.” He turns to look at Joshua and his eyebrows climb a little higher. “Joshie, I think we’re gonna need to clean you up too.”

“I packed some of my bath toys.” Joshua tells his dad, who snorts and grins.

“I’m glad you came prepared.”

-

Darnold had texted Daddy while Joshua was in the bath, confirming he and Tommy would come up for the rest of the trip, and Joshua comes out from the bathroom wrapped up in a fluffy bathrobe to find Tommy and Darnold standing in the door.

“Well, you look very pampered.” Darnold grins at him, picking him up and giving him a hug.

“Hi, Tommy.” Joshua smiles and the other man smiles wanly, waving his hand at Joshua silently.

“Tommy’s a bit tired.” Daddy tells Joshua, handing Tommy a pillow and blanket. “He’s gonna go sit in the closet until he feels better.” Daddy steps aside and Tommy wanders further into the penthouse, disappearing down a hallway.

“Is it because of me?” Joshua asks quietly and Darnold shakes his head quickly.

“No, of course not. He just had to teach his dad that human children can’t just be left to fend for themselves on a sidewalk in the middle of New York City.”

“It was a little scary being out there.” Darnold hands Joshua over to his dad, who heaves him up to be more comfortable. 

“Yeah, cowboy, I bet it was. But you were smart about it. Found someone who was able to help you.”

“I did good?” Joshua asks and Daddy nods.

“Sure did.” He looks to Darnold. “I think we’ve all had a long day. Darnold, you want me to show you where you and Tommy are sleeping?”

“That would be great.” Darnold sighs and picks up the bags he and Tommy had shown up with. “I don’t know about you, but I feel like I could sleep for a year.”

“I feel like I could sleep for twenty.” Daddy laughs and rubs Joshua’s back as he drops his head onto his dad’s shoulder and starts to drift off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm excited to announce the end is coming up! And that there's a little epilogue chapter I whipped up today I hope y'all will like!  
> If you caught the Half Life joke in here, shout out to you. I was very proud of myself when I thought of it lol


	6. Gustave Caillabotte's 'A Balcony In Paris'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua can't sleep and gets up to get a glass of water.  
> He wasn't expecting to find someone sitting on the hotel room balcony.

Joshua blinks awake tucked into his dad’s chest, too hot to sleep anymore. He wiggles out from under his dad’s arm, watching as Daddy turns over in his sleep, grunting quietly. Joshua grins at his successful escape and slips out of the bedroom.

The sink in the kitchen is short enough that Joshua can fill a glass pretty easily, and he goes to sit at the table while he drinks it. Before he can sit down, though, some movement on the balcony catches his eye on the balcony. Joshua goes and presses his face to the glass, peering through into the night.

A man sits on the edge of the balcony, his head turned away from Joshua. He looks big, taller than Daddy and wider, and long black hair drapes down his back and looks like Daddy’s does when he forgets to brush it for a couple days. Joshua carefully slides the glass door open and pokes his head outside.

“How’d you get up here?” He asks and the man startles, head whipping around to Joshua. His eyes, wide with fear, glow yellow in the dark of the night, and Joshua thinks he looks like a lighthouse.

“Wh-what’re you doing out here, lil’ dude?” The man asks and Joshua wrinkles his nose.

“Nuh uh, you have to answer my question first. That’s how it works.”

“Aw, whoops.” The man fidgets nervously, nails tapping on the metal of the balcony. “Okay, I climbed. Now you gotta answer mine.”

“I saw you sitting out here.” Joshua steps out onto the balcony a little more, closing the glass door behind him. “Can I ask another question?”

“You just did.” The man grins and in the yellow light of his eyes, his teeth look like a tiger’s. Joshua blinks at the man, who hesitates and nods. “Alright. But if I don’t wanna answer, then I’m not gonna.”

“Why are you here?” Joshua asks and the man tilts his head.

“Lil… Little f-freaking MLB player, with the heavy hitters right out the gate.” Joshua thinks the man isn’t gonna answer, but eventually he takes a deep breath. “I’m here to protect you.”

“Like a fairy godmother?” Joshua bounces excitedly for a moment but stops when the man shakes his head.

“No way, I’m way cooler. Like- I’m a tank. Take all the big hits so you and your dad don’t have to.”

“Have you had to get hurt?” The man looks at Joshua on that question, narrowing his eyes at him in curiosity.

“Why you asking? Want me to show off my cool battle scars? Don’t wanna give you some cringe nightmares.”

“I don’t like you getting hurt to keep us safe. My dad’s tough, you should let him help you!” The man looks away quickly at that and his shoulders hunch up a little more.

“Nah, little man, don’t bug your Pops. ‘Sides, there haven’t been any big bads I’ve had to fight. Health bar’s still at full.”

“Good.” Joshua nods firmly and the man snorts. “What? What are you laughing at?”

“You’re really makin’ sure I’m safe?” He asks and Joshua nods again.

“Yeah. But if you can climb buildings and stuff, I think you’d be able to fight good.” The man smiles at that. “Um… Thank you. For- for keeping me and my dad safe.”

“Always.” The man says and then seems to realize he said that out loud, looking away quickly. “Y-you should be getting back to bed! Never gonna level up from noob levels if you sit out here all night.”

“Can I have one more question? Pleeeeeeease?” Joshua does his best puppy eyes and the man falls for them surprisingly fast, squinting his eyes shut as he grumbles and nods. “What’s your name?”

“...Ben. You can call me Ben.”

“Okay. Good night, Ben!” As Joshua opens the door back up and heads inside, he glances back one last time. Ben’s turned away from the door once again, head tilted back to look at the stars. So quietly Joshua almost can’t hear it, Ben starts to sing. 

Bright lights float out of his mouth, drifting over the edge of the balcony and down towards the city below. They’re pretty, pink and purple, but Ben’s singing is prettier. Joshua listens for as long as he can, but when he starts yawning again, he reluctantly puts his glass away and heads back to bed.

Daddy snuffles a little when Joshua climbs back into bed. Still half-asleep, he lifts up an arm for Joshua to squirm under and drops a kiss into Joshua’s hair once he’s settled.

“Y’okay, cowboy?” Daddy slurs and Joshua nods.

“I got a glass of water.” Joshua tells him and Daddy nods, already drifting back to sleep.

“Okay. Love you.”

“Love you too, Daddy.” Joshua murmurs and lets his own eyes drift closed as he thinks about Ben’s singing and the pretty lights that came with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BENNY HAS MADE AN APPEARANCE  
> Sweet Voice translation:  
> Pink to lilac means 'Content to protect'


	7. Edward Moran's 'Unveiling the Statue of Liberty'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Forzen seems surprised to see Joshua with his dad. At least he's still willing to help Joshua and his dad be tourists for a day.

The doorbell rings just as Joshua’s finishing his breakfast, a plate of pancakes that his dad had ordered from room service.

“Put your dish in the sink.” Daddy ruffles Joshua’s hair as he goes to answer the door. Joshua does so, taking the chance to also glance out onto the balcony again. Ben still isn’t out there, and Joshua has to fight the idea that he’d just dreamed the whole thing. He really likes the idea of having someone who’s able to scale buildings watching out for him and his dad.

“Oh! Hi, Forzen.” At the name, Joshua whirls around. Daddy’s mostly blocking the door, but Joshua can see a pair of big black boots standing in front of his dad. “How can I help you?”

“I wanted to see if you got settled alright. And to ask about any plans you have for today?” Joshua sneaks closer, hiding around the corner of the kitchen and peeking out to look at Daddy’s art man. His hair is still slicked back, but he’s wearing a sweater and jeans along with his big boots.

“I didn’t have anything planned, no.” Daddy looks behind him. When he sees Joshua hiding, he lifts an eyebrow and waves him over. Joshua walks up like his dad wants him to, but he stays half-hidden behind his dad, clinging to his pajama pants. “A very nice delivery lady gave us some brochures, though, didn’t she, Joshie?”

“M-hm.” Joshua grunts and looks up. Forzen stares back down at him, shock clear on his face. Before Daddy can look away from Joshua, though, Forzen’s fixed his expression and smiles kindly down at Joshua.

“Well, hello there! I don’t remember buying two plane tickets?” He looks back up at Daddy at that, who just laughs.

“Oh, you know. Some things happened. Luckily we didn’t have to pay for the kid’s transportation, so don’t worry about that being on the bill.”

“I’m not.” Forzen smiles and crouches down, resting his arms on his knees as he meets Joshua’s gaze. “So you must be Joshua. I’ve seen some of your dad’s art of you.” Joshua says nothing, and Forzen continues talking before the silence can get too awkward. “So, Joshua, how do you feel about going out and doing some fun stuff today? Does that sound like fun?”

“What are we gonna do?” Joshua asks and Forzen tilts his head back to look at Joshua’s dad.

“I figured we could do the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, and then Central Park.”

“Those all sound like fun, huh, Joshie?” Daddy isn’t looking at Forzen like Joshua is, so he misses the way Forzen’s face wrinkles for a second at being ignored.

“Yeah.” Joshua nods and clings to his dad’s leg a little more.

“Well, great. Alright, Forzen, give us an hour to get ready. We’ll meet you downstairs.”

“I could always-” Forzen starts to say, but he’s cut off by Daddy closing the door in his face and scooping Joshua onto his hip in one smooth move.

“Make sure to be on your best behavior today, cowboy.” Daddy tells him and Joshua nods, hoping Ben’s around just to make sure Forzen stops being weird with his dad.

-

Joshua pushes himself up on his toes, staring over the railing of the ferry boat at New York City, reflecting the sunlight across the water until it’s almost too bright to look at.

“Joshua, be careful!” Daddy calls and Joshua turns around to wave at him. Daddy and Forzen are sitting next to each other on some of the red plastic seats. Forzen looks over the edge of his sunglasses at Joshua before he pushes them back up and grins at Joshua’s dad.

“He’s just having fun, Gordon, don’t worry.” Joshua keeps watching as Forzen opens his mouth in a yawn, lifting an arm up and starting to drape it around Daddy’s shoulder. Just as he does so, Daddy stands up. Joshua hides a laugh at the way Forzen’s arm slides squeakily down the plastic of the seat.

“Do you see the statue yet?” Daddy asks, putting his hands on Joshua’s shoulders, and Joshua shakes his head as he keeps looking out at the city. “Well, I think I can help with that.” Gently, Daddy turns Joshua’s chin a little to the left, and Joshua gasps as he sees the statue. 

“Daddy, Daddy, I see her!” Daddy laughs at that and scoops Joshua up, lifting Joshua over his head and letting Joshua scramble into position sitting on his shoulders.

“Oof, you’re getting a little heavy for riding on my shoulders, cowboy.” Daddy wheezes, but Joshua can only kick his legs against his dad’s chest in excitement as the Statue of Liberty grows bigger and bigger in front of him.

-

Daddy decides it’s way too windy to climb to the top of the Statue, so instead Forzen buys all of them tickets to the museum of immigration they have there and walk around the island until they’re all standing at the base of the statue.

“Didn’t your mom want some pictures?” Daddy asks and Joshua nods, head craned back to look up at the statue. Daddy laughs when Joshua loses his balance and catches him, setting him back on his feet and readjusting the beanie Joshua’s wearing.

“I can take some pictures of the two of you, if you want.” Forzen tells Daddy as he pulls his phone out, and Joshua bounces as Daddy nods. “Alright, pose, you two!” Joshua strikes a pose like the statue, expression stoic, and Daddy grins as he strikes the same pose, unable to stop smiling.

After a couple seconds, Forzen straightens back up and smiles down at his phone screen.

“These came out great. Do you two wanna get some pictures of all three of us?”

“That sounds cool.” Daddy nods and Forzen looks around, looking for someone to take their picture. He finally decides on someone in a big black hoodie, hood covering their face and making it look like they’re staring up at the statue. Forzen walks up to the person and stands directly in front of them, holding his phone out to them.

“Hi, there! Sorry, we’re on vacation. I was just wondering if you could take our picture?” With the hand not holding the phone out, Forzen gestures between himself and Joshua and his dad.

The person doesn’t say anything, just standing there. Joshua almost thinks they might be a scarecrow or a miniature statue, when they suddenly explode into movement. 

The person snatches the phone from Forzen’s extended hand, running and vanishing into the crowd as Forzen yells a curse word and starts running after them. Daddy laughs in shock and scoops Joshua up.

“Well, cowboy, I think we’re just gonna wait here until Forzen comes back, okay?”

“Okay, Daddy.” Joshua murmurs and props his chin on his dad’s shoulder.

Eventually, Forzen comes back, sweater sleeves pushed up, hair messed up, and cheeks bright red.

“What happened?” Daddy asks, standing up from where he and Joshua were playing Tic-Tac-Toe on a museum brochure.

“I got the security people to help me look for the guy, but he just… Vanished or something.” Forzen shakes his head in frustration. “Luckily I didn’t lose any important contacts or anything.”

“Just those photos of me and Joshua.” Daddy sighs, sounding a little sad, but a bell starts ringing and Forzen turns, starting to walk towards it.

“Let’s just go ahead and get off this stupid island.” He mutters, more to himself than anything, and Joshua squeezes his dad’s hand as they start following after Forzen.

“I’m sorry we lost those pictures, Daddy.” Daddy grins as he looks down and squeezes Joshua’s hand back.

“Hey, sheriff, it’s okay. The memories I made with you are way more important than some pictures.”

“Okay.” Joshua smiles back at his dad and starts to swing their clasped hands as they walk.

-

It’s almost six in the afternoon by the time they get some lunch and then head to the Rockefeller Center. Joshua gasps at the big golden statue and the giant tree behind it and turns to his dad.

“There’s a statue everywhere in New York City, Daddy!” Daddy laughs at that.

“A lot more than back home, huh?” He asks and Joshua nods just as Forzen walks back over to them.

“Okay, so I bought us about two hours on the rink. Let’s go get our skates.” Forzen’s calmed down a little bit since his phone got stolen, but he still seems overly happy, like he’s putting on a show for Joshua and his dad.

“Sounds good.” Daddy tugs Joshua over to the skate area, which reminds Joshua of the place where he gets his bowling shoes when he goes bowling with Bubby and Coomer back home. In the time it takes for Daddy to put his skates on and start helping Joshua with his, Forzen’s got his on and is waiting almost impatiently next to them. Finally, Joshua has his skates on and Daddy helps him to his feet. Forzen leans down, putting one hand on Joshua’s shoulder and using the other to point to where a group of kids are skating around the rink, laughing and shouting.

“Look, Joshua, there are some other kids! Do you wanna go play while your dad and I skate?” Joshua pauses. He doesn’t know what he’s supposed to say, and he knows Forzen’s already had a long day. Luckily, Joshua’s dad saves him from having to answer.

“Joshie’s never skated before, I thought this would be a great rink to help him learn in.”

“Oh.” Forzen straightens up and watches silently as Daddy helps Joshua carefully wobble onto the ice, Joshua gripping to his dad’s hands tightly. “Oh, that’s… Fine.”

Joshua looks up from the ice long enough to see Forzen with his arms over his chest. He’s probably just cold, but Joshua’s reminded of a kid in his class who crosses his arms just like that when he’s pouting about losing when they play tag.

“What’s the statue for, Daddy?” Joshua asks as he and Daddy skate, and Daddy smiles.

“It’s called Prometheus. A long time ago, he stole fire from the Greek gods and gave it to humans so we could develop and cook our food.”

“Oh, he’s a good guy.” Joshua says. “I don’t like raw food.”

“Me, neither.” Daddy laughs and Joshua looks over to where Forzen’s finally skated out onto the rink.

“Daddy, why did Forzen wanna skate just you and him?”

“Well, you know how Forzen’s the one who’s helping me to do my art show here?” When Joshua nods, Daddy wrinkles his nose like he just smelled a skunk. “I think he’s trying to get me on my own so we can talk business, which is  _ super _ boring.” Joshua sticks his tongue out and Daddy nods in agreement. “But other than that, I think he’s being very nice by taking us around to all the tourist things we wanted to do.”

“I think so too.”

“Cool, so what we’re gonna do is we’re gonna be very nice and polite, and not let him start talking business.” Daddy lets go of one of Joshua’s hands to hold his pinky out, and Joshua carefully wraps his own pinky around it as the two of them continue to slowly skate. 

-

Forzen still seems a little annoyed after they finish skating, but he still refuses Daddy’s offer to buy him a coffee and instead pays for Joshua’s hot chocolate and Daddy’s coffee. Daddy arches an eyebrow at Forzen as he hands it over, but says nothing, staying quiet as he sips at his drink.

The three of them take a taxi to Central Park and Joshua gasps as he sees snowflakes sparkling in the light of the setting sun, the last rays reflected across the icy surface of a pond. They stand on a bridge that stretches across the lake, and watch the sunset.

“Daddy, look how pretty it is!” He whispers, almost afraid to speak any louder in case he changes it somehow, and Daddy nods next to him, letting Joshua hold his hand when Joshua reaches out.

“Did you have a good day today, cowboy?” He asks and Joshua nods happily.

“Yeah! I had a lot of fun!” Joshua slurps up the last of his hot chocolate and looks into the hole of his lid. “I need a trash can.”

“There’s one over there. Will you please throw my cup away too?” Joshua nods and runs down the bridge to where there’s a trash can. He pushes the empty cups in and listens to them clang at the bottom of the can. 

As he turns around, Joshua realizes neither of the adults are watching him. Daddy’s looking out at the water and Forzen’s staring at Daddy, the expression on his face almost like something out of one of those weird romance movies Bubby likes to watch and make fun of with Joshua.

He looks like he likes Daddy.

Joshua scrunches his face at the idea of Daddy and Forzen dating, but decides he should probably let his dad decide on stuff like that for himself. So instead of interfering, Joshua turns away and starts slowly following after a duck that’s waddling its way across the grass towards a bunch of reeds. As he crouches down to watch the duck settle onto a nest hidden in the reeds with his wife duck, Joshua realizes he can still see Daddy and Forzen standing on the bridge.

Forzen keeps staring at Daddy for another second before he looks down to where Daddy’s hands are resting on the railing of the bridge. Slowly, like he doesn’t want Daddy to see him doing it, Forzen starts to stretch one of his own hands out towards Daddy’s.

Daddy blinks suddenly and his gaze cuts away from the sunset towards where Joshua’s sitting in the reeds. He cups his hands over his mouth, barely avoiding knocking his hand against Forzen’s.

“Joshua! What are you doing?”

“There’s some ducks!” Joshua calls back. The ducks jolt at his voice but don’t leave their nest. “Oops, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Okay, buddy, just stay where I can see you, okay?” Daddy calls again and Joshua nods solemnly, watching as Forzen turns away from Daddy and pulls his phone out, face once again twisted in a grumpy expression.

-

Darnold and Tommy are sitting on the couch together, watching a movie, when Daddy opens the hotel room door.

“Hi, Darnold, hi, Tommy!” Joshua calls as he starts tugging his gloves off.

“Hi, Joshua!” Darnold pauses the movie. “How was your day out?” 

“It was fun!” As Joshua starts telling them about everything they did, Daddy smiles and kneels to help Joshua unzip his coat.

“Hello, Darnold, Tommy.” Forzen waves to them from where he’s still standing in the doorway. Darnold smiles and waves back. Tommy does the same but his smile is noticeably absent. “I didn’t realize the two of you were in the city.”

“Well, we weren’t.” Darnold shrugs, smile never dropping. “And then we were.” Forzen blinks, like he’s waiting for Darnold to finish the sentence. When it becomes obvious Darnold isn’t going to, Forzen awkwardly clears his throat.

“Well, then. I’d better be heading out.”

“Alright. See you at the exhibition.” Daddy’s tongue pokes out as he fights Joshua’s zipper, and Forzen nods slowly one more time before turning and heading back to the elevator, letting the door click shut behind him.

“So you spent the whole day with Forzen, huh?” Darnold asks and Daddy nods, grunting as Joshua’s zipper finally unsticks and he’s able to pull the coat off.

“H-how did- Hopefully it wasn’t too bad?” Tommy asks and Daddy shakes his head.

“He got his phone stolen at the Statue of Liberty and kept trying to talk business with me, but at least Joshua and I enjoyed ourselves!”

“Plus he paid for everything.” Joshua tells them as Tommy lifts him up to hang his coat on the row of hooks.

“That he did.” Daddy laughs and goes to sit on the couch Tommy and Darnold hadn’t been sitting on. Joshua joins him as soon as Tommy sets him down, and everyone gets settled around the TV. “Are y’all watching anything good?”

“Just one of those Hallmark Christmas movies.” Darnold says as he unpauses the movie, and Joshua has to fight a laugh off at the way the main guy is looking at the lady on screen. He was right earlier when he thought that Forzen was looking at Daddy the same way.

-

Joshua’s almost fallen asleep when he’s startled by Daddy’s phone buzzing. Daddy hums and gently pulls Joshua back against his side as he fishes his phone out.

“Weird.” Joshua hears Daddy mutter and then chuckle.

“Daddy…?” Joshua asks and his dad tilts his phone to where Joshua can see.

The picture Daddy’s looking at is of him and Joshua posing in front of the Statue of Liberty. The picture Daddy had thought they’d lost when Forzen’s phone got stolen.

“Did he get his phone back?” Joshua asks and Daddy shrugs carefully so he doesn’t move Joshua.

“I guess he must have. Otherwise some weirdo knows who to send pictures to.”

“At least we have the pictures.” Joshua murmurs, already starting to drift off again, and Daddy combs his fingers through Joshua’s hair.

“Go to sleep, Sheriff. We can send the pictures to your mom in the morning.”

“Okay.” Joshua yawns again and falls back asleep, safe and warm in his dad’s hold.


	8. Leonid Afremov's 'Times Square at Night'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the day of Daddy's art show, and he only just realizes that Joshua and the others don't have fancy clothes for tonight, which means Joshua gets a new dress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who guessed in the last chapter, yes, Benrey was the one who stole Forzen's phone. Glad y'all liked the last chapter! One more to go after this!

Joshua wakes up alone on the couch, a pillow tucked under his head and a blanket draped over him. At first, he yawns and debates going back to sleep, but then he realizes what woke him up: Someone’s pounding on the door.

Daddy emerges from the bedroom, glasses pushed up into his hair. 

“Morning, cowboy.” He smiles at Joshua, who waves back. “Stay there while I see who’s at the door, okay?”

“Okay.” Joshua crawls back under his blanket, watching as Daddy goes to the door and looks through the peephole. He laughs and opens the door. “What are you two doing here?”

“Apparently people can get banned from Vegas.” Bubby mutters as he and Coomer come through the door. Joshua squeals and throws his blanket off, running over to the two old men.

“Hello, Joshua!” Coomer scoops Joshua up and squeezes him in a hug.

“Hey, squirt, look what I… Got for you.” Bubby pulls a teddy bear almost as big as Joshua out from behind his back and Joshua leans forward in Coomer’s arms to take the bear and wrap his arms around Bubby’s neck.

“Thank you, Bubby!”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t get too mushy on me.” Bubby ruffles Joshua’s hair with a grin before he turns towards Gordon. “Who do I have to fight to get some coffee around here?”

“Yeah, good to see you, too.” Daddy rolls his eyes with a smile as the group migrates into the kitchen. “How did you even find out what hotel we were staying in?”

“Gordon, Tommy was kind enough to text us the information as a surprise!” 

“Wow, you two got here fast.” Darnold and Tommy emerge from their room, already dressed for the day.

“I-I, uh, hope you didn’t break too many speed limits!”

“How many counts as too many?” As everyone settles in, Joshua watches Daddy get the coffee machine going and turn to look at the group.

“So who all has clothes for tonight?” He asks finally and the random conversations die down as everyone else turns to look at him. “...My art show? You guys do know it’s a formal event?”

“I look fine.” Bubby tells him, dressed in a short-sleeved button-up and khaki shorts. “I don’t see why I need to wear a monkey suit.” Silently, Daddy pours himself a cup of coffee and drains the whole thing in one go.

“Okay, so we’re going shopping today! Joshie, do you want to wear a suit or a dress?”

“Dress, please.” Coomer sets Joshua down and he starts heading towards Daddy’s room. Daddy follows, talking to the Science Team over his shoulder.

“We’re heading out as soon as Joshua and I get dressed, don’t get too comfortable.”

“A-alright, Mr. Freeman! Don’t- try not to get too stressed, I’m sure everything will- it’ll all work out!”

“I certainly hope so.” Daddy takes a deep breath as he closes the bedroom door and starts rummaging through his suitcase.

-

Daddy already has his dress, hanging on the rail in his closet. Joshua hasn’t seen it yet, but he has an idea.

“Daddy?” He waits as Daddy unleashes the Science Team on the fancy clothing store they’re in before he tugs on Daddy’s shirt sleeve to get his attention. “Daddy, can our dresses match?”

“You don’t even know what my dress looks like.” Daddy tells him, but he’s smiling anyway.

“I trust you to make me look pretty.” Daddy laughs and nods, looking around the store consideringly.

“I appreciate your trust. Sure, cowboy, let’s get to looking.” For a little bit, the two of them wander around the store, Joshua pausing to shake the hand of every mannequin as Daddy slowly works his way through racks of dresses. He’s almost done with yet another rack when a store attendant walks up.

“Do you need some help, sir?” Daddy startles and looks up.

“Yes, please. I’m looking for a red dress with gold accents that would fit my son.” Joshua waves to the store attendant, who smiles at him.

“If we could get his measurements, I might have a couple ideas.”

“That’s fine with me.” Joshua holds his dad’s hand and the two of them follow after the store attendant as she weaves her way through the store towards the back. 

Joshua stands with his arms straight out, stiff as he can, as the lady measures different parts of him with a tape measure. Soon enough, she finishes and lets the tape measure snap shut.

“I’ll bring in the options we have soon.” She tells Daddy, and he nods before she heads out. Joshua hops down from the little raised platform he’d been standing on and goes over to climb into his dad’s lap.

“The things I do for you.” He sighs dramatically and Daddy laughs as Joshua flops across his lap.

“I appreciate your sacrifices.” Daddy drums on Joshua’s tummy and Joshua giggles as he sits up and wraps his arms around himself.

“Are you excited for your show tonight?” He asks and Daddy hums, tilting his head to the side as he thinks.

“Do you remember how you felt on the first day of school?”

“I thought I was gonna throw up.” Joshua says and Daddy nods.

“Yep, you were this confused jumble of nervous and scared and excited and-”

“Emotion blender.” Daddy laughs again at that and nods.

“I feel like I’m getting thrown around an emotion blender.” Joshua leans up and wraps his arms around his dad’s neck.

“I think your art show is gonna go great, Daddy.”

“Thank you, cowboy.” Daddy hugs Joshua back. They stay in the hug for a long moment until the store attendant lady comes back into the room, almost completely hidden by the giant stack of dresses she’s carrying. “Uh, would you like some help?”

“No, but thank you!” The lady carefully takes the dresses three at a time, sweeping some of her hair out of her face when she finishes. “I’ll leave these with you. My name’s Lydia if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Lydia.” She nods and Daddy starts to sort through the dresses as she disappears back out the door.

-

Joshua isn’t sure how long it takes for Daddy to sort through the dresses and find one he finally likes for Joshua, but when Joshua wears it in front of the mirror, he beams as he swishes the skirt back and forth.

The dress is a darker red with a poofy skirt that goes past Joshua’s knees. There’s a gold bow in the back, and the bottoms of the puffy sleeves are also trimmed with gold thread.

“Daddy, I look so pretty!” Joshua spins again and Daddy smiles as he hangs one of the dresses he’d rejected back up.

“So do you like it? It’s not itchy or anything?” Joshua shakes his head and runs a finger under the hem of the sleeve just to make sure it won’t start bugging him later at the party.

“No, I like it!” Daddy grins and idly tugs a little bit at the skirt of the dress.

“Good. I’m glad you like it. Do you wanna show everybody else now or wait until the show tonight?”

“I wanna wait. Plus then I can see your dress at the same time!”

“That’s certainly true.” Daddy starts undoing the bow on the back of Joshua’s dress. “Alright, cowboy, go ahead and get your regular clothes back on. Maybe you can convince the others to let you pick where we eat.”

“Will you help me? They argue a lot.”

“They sure do, don’t they? Yeah, cowboy, I’ll help you.”

“Thank you, Daddy!”

-

The whole group lays around eating hot dogs and fries at the hotel room, at Joshua’s request. They spend a couple hours watching some movie Joshua doesn’t even remember the name of, but soon enough an alarm on Daddy’s phone starts going off and he stands, dragging the blanket off of Joshua and starting to fold it up.

“Alright, everybody, we’ve got two hours to get ready. Then Forzen’s gonna be here with a limo to pick us up.”

“D-d- was Forzen always going to pick you up in a limo?” Tommy asks with a teasing smile and Daddy rolls his eyes.

“You make it sound like he’s picking me up for prom.”

“Gordon, a good prom date will bring you a corsage!” Coomer pipes up as he lifts Bubby off the couch, and Daddy nods.

“Yes, Dr. Coomer, thank you for that advice. Now can everybody please go get dressed?”

“Daddy, will you do my hair?” Joshua asks and Daddy nods again.

“Sure, cowboy, but that might have to wait until I’m completely ready. Is that okay?”

“Yep, I can get dressed on my own.”

It takes maybe one of the two hours Daddy set aside for them, but soon enough everyone except for Daddy is gathered in the living room, looking like they walked straight out of a fashion magazine.

Tommy’s wearing a gold paisley suit jacket with a red bow tie and his usual propellor cap. Darnold’s wearing a standard tux but he waves Joshua over and shows off the little cuffs on his suit jacket that look like potion beakers with little bubbles coming out of the top.

Bubby’s wearing a suit as well, though he has a cape that almost touches the floor and flares out when he spreads his arms. Joshua has to pout longer than usual to get Bubby to pretend to be Dracula, but he gets what he wants in the end. Coomer’s wearing a pretty green vest with gold spirals all over it, and only one of the buttons of his suit jacket is buttoned.

As expected, everyone oohs and ahhs over how pretty Joshua’s dress is. However, when it takes another 10 minutes for Daddy to emerge, some of the adults start to get fidgety.

“I’m going to go see what’s taking him so long.” Bubby mutters to Coomer, who nods.

“A fine idea, my dear professor! Perhaps Gordon got tied up in some ropes! Those can help us with large pits, you know!”

“There’d better not be any ropes out here.” Daddy finally comes out from his room, shoes clicking on the hardwood floor.

“Daddy! You look so pretty!” Joshua clasps his hands over his mouth to quiet his squeal, and Daddy beams, his hands dropping down from where he was fastening his earring. He spreads his arms for inspection from Joshua and the Science Team.

Daddy’s curly hair is pulled into a bun, two pieces hanging free to frame his face. He put on some eyeliner and a little bit of lip gloss, along with a simple gold necklace. The earrings he’s wearing look like a bunch of individual gold strings clipped to his ears. Daddy’s dress is gorgeous, the neckline gold and the main dress red. It doesn’t have any sleeves and it’s long enough that it forms a very short train that drags on the floor behind Daddy. His heels are black and make him about three inches taller.

“Gordon, you look lovely!” Coomer walks forward and Daddy smiles as Coomer clasps his hands.

“Thank you, Coomer. You all clean up pretty good, too!”

“I look good no matter what I’m wearing!” Bubby scoffs as he swishes his cape, but Joshua notices Tommy glancing back and forth between Daddy and Joshua.

“D-did the two of you- was there some outfit coordination?” He asks and Daddy nods as Joshua walks to stand next to his dad. “Y-you have a very good eye for color, Gordon!”

“Thank you.” Daddy readjusts the bow on the back of Joshua’s dress just as someone knocks on the door. “Coomer, can you go see who that is? And if it’s Forzen, please don’t punch him!”

“I make no promises, Gordon!” Coomer pivots on the ball of his foot and heads for the door, Bubby close behind him.

“I’ll keep him under control.”

“Thank you, Bubby. Alright, Joshie, is there anything you need to bring to the art show?”

“Hmmmm…” Joshua thinks about it but shakes his head just as Bubby and Coomer practically frogmarch Forzen into the living room. As soon as he sees Daddy, Forzen’s jaw almost hits the floor and his face goes bright red. Daddy, looking away from him, doesn’t even notice so instead Joshua just shares a knowing look with Tommy and Darnold. When Forzen finally clears his throat, Daddy turns around and smiles at him.

“Gordon… Wow. You look… Divine.” Forzen’s voice cracks and Bubby snorts with laughter.

“Thank you, Forzen, you look nice too.” Forzen looks around at the rest of the group, and his face slowly goes back to its usual colors. 

“Uh, can I talk with you in the kitchen for a minute?” He asks and Daddy looks confused but nods anyway.

“Sure. Bubby, don’t burn anything down while I’m gone.” He walks out and Joshua giggles when Bubby flips Daddy off behind his back. When Bubby realizes Joshua saw him, he winks and tilts his head towards the kitchen. Joshua nods and the two of them sneak closer to listen to Forzen and Daddy talk.

“Listen… Gordon, I mean this with the best intentions, but. Your friends aren’t exactly- They don’t mesh well. You should stick with me at the party. If you want to make it big in the art world, you don’t wanna be seen with people like them.”

“Maybe you should rephrase that.” Daddy says and Joshua blinks when he hears how angry his dad sounds. “First off, they aren’t my friends, they’re my family. Second off, if anyone at the show tonight says anything about it, I’ll shove the heel of my shoe so far up their ass, they’ll think Ginger Rogers was dancing salsa on their tongue.” Bubby has to cover his mouth with a hand to keep from laughing, and he shakes his head when Joshua looks at him quizzically.

“...Okay. Well, I guess we’d better get the others? The limo’s waiting.” As the footsteps start coming towards them, Bubby scoops Joshua up and beats a quick retreat back to Coomer’s side. Coomer, for his part, simply curls an arm around Bubby’s waist under the cloak and keeps quoting one of his articles.

“Alright, guys, let’s move out!” Daddy walks into the room and picks up a clutch before letting Bubby hand Joshua off to him. “You excited, bud?”

“Yeah!” Joshua puts on a big grin for Daddy, but as soon as Daddy turns for the door, both Joshua and Bubby narrow their eyes suspiciously at Forzen, who doesn’t even seem to notice, gaze focused on his shiny back shoes.


	9. Gustav Klimt's 'The Kiss'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Daddy's art show, and Joshua's excited to ride in a limo like a famous person.

The gallery Daddy’s show is at is kind of close to the hotel, but there’s still enough time for Joshua to stick his head out of the sunroof of the limo and let Coomer smooth his hair down afterwards. He asks Daddy to do it with him, but isn’t exactly surprised when Daddy says no.

“There it is.” Forzen says soon enough, rapping a knuckle against the glass window, and Joshua turns to look. The gallery’s a couple stories tall, and a crowd’s already gathering around the front door, security guards looking at tickets and IDs by the front doors.

“Do we go in there?” He asks and Forzen nods.

“We get to skip the line, though, otherwise the show would never start.” The limo parks and Forzen’s the first out of the car, holding a hand out to Daddy, who takes it and then turns around to help Joshua out and make sure he still looks nice. Frozen doesn’t help any of the rest of the Science Team out, which Joshua thinks is a little bit rude, and instead goes to talk to the driver.

“Just hold my hand until we get inside, okay?” Daddy tells Joshua, who nods and links their hands together. Frozen reappears on Daddy’s other side and leads the way to the front of the line, where one of the security guards stops them.

“Identification, please.”

“He’s my plus-one.” Joshua tells the burly man confidently, which makes the man crack a smile, and Daddy wheeze with laughter.

“Where did you even hear that?”

“They always say it at fancy parties on TV!” Joshua tells him and the security guard nods.

“Smart kid you got there.” Before Daddy can say anything else, the guard turns to the other. “Jonny! Do we still have those badges?”

“We should.” Jonny rummages around in his suit jacket for a minute before pulling out a roll of something and tossing it to his partner. “Just hang onto it, will you?”

“Alright.” The guard pries something off the white paper and shows it to Joshua. It’s a shiny gold sticker that says ‘Junior VIP’ on it. “Do you want a special badge?”

“Yes, please.” Joshua takes the badge and carefully sticks it onto the front of his dress. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome.” The guard grins, and Forzen sighs, rustling around in his own pockets, finally pulling out his wallet and flipping it open to show his driver’s license.

“I’m with the gallery. Can we get inside now?”

“Right away, sir.” Instantly the guard’s smile is gone and he steps aside, letting everyone file inside. Joshua waves goodbye to the guard, who waves back before turning back to the line of people.

“Alright, Gordon, the director wants to meet with you before we officially open the show, so we need to move.” Frozen starts walking off, and Daddy looks over his shoulder at Joshua as he starts to follow.

“Stay with the Science Team and be on your best behavior, cowboy.”

“I will, Daddy!” Joshua stands on his tiptoes and watches as his dad disappears into the crowd.

“C-C-come here, Joshua, I’ll hold you so you can- Since it’d be hard to see.”

“Thank you, Tommy!” Joshua lets himself get scooped up, just in time to see Coomer and Bubby walk away in a different direction. “Where are they going?”

“Probably to find out if there’s free food.” Darnold jokes and Joshua giggles.

“Do you think they’ll bring back any food for us?”

“If they don’t start a fight with the caterer, sure!”

“Wh-d-do you know which painting you want to look at first?” Tommy asks and Joshua starts looking around the room. At first, he’s looking at the paintings on the walls, but suddenly he spies someone in the crowd that gets his attention.

“It’s Ben!” He cries and Tommy whirls around to look where Joshua is.

Ben stands in front of one of the paintings of Daddy’s security guard, long hair tied back with a dark blue ribbon. He’s wearing a suit, the suit jacket the same dark blue as his hair ribbon. Joshua doesn’t think Ben’s seen them yet.

“H-h-how is he-how do you know who that is?” Tommy asks Joshua, who blinks as he realizes he spilled his secret.

“He showed up on the balcony and said he was protecting me and Daddy! Can we go say hi? Please?”

“S-sure.” Darnold has to almost jog to keep up with Tommy’s hurried pace, and Joshua clings to the lapel of his jacket as he rocks in Tommy’s arms. “B-B-Benrey?” Ben jolts and spins around, his eyes going wide when he sees them.

“...Uh, yooooo, Tommy, what’s up?” Ben seems nervous, looking around like he’s looking for a window to jump through.

“Why-y-you’re alive?” Tommy hisses and sets Joshua down.

“Yeah. Surprise.” Ben does jazz hands and relaxes a little bit when that makes Joshua laugh. “I… I didn’t think you’d want me around. So I just. Pulled a Batman, stayed in the shadows.” Ben had tilted his head down, eyes on the floor, so he tenses right back when Tommy throws his arms around Ben in a tight hug. There’s a moment of hesitance before Ben hugs back.

“O-of course I want you around.” Tommy’s voice wavers like he’s about to cry, and he swipes at his eyes when he pulls away from the hug. “A-a-and I’m not the only one.” Ben doesn’t say anything, but his gaze skips to the painting he’d been looking at again.

“Can I hang out with Ben?” Joshua asks and Tommy nods, while Darnold looks a little bit more hesitant.

“I t-t-I believe in him.” Tommy murmurs to Darnold, and he sighs, nodding as well.

“You two have fun.” Darnold smiles nervously, walking away with Tommy, and Joshua looks up at Ben with a pout.

“Tommy called you Benrey. But you said your name was Ben.”

“Eh, close enough. It’s uh, name divided by 2.” Benrey grins down at Joshua, who sighs and lets his face relax.

“I guess that’s okay, then.”

“Lil dude, it looks like your, uh, your ribbon came untied. Wanna let Benny boy fix it?” Joshua tries to look at his ribbon, only succeeding in spinning a circle and making Benrey chuckle.

“Yes, please.” Joshua turns and watches the other people as Benrey reties his ribbon. “...Are you Daddy’s security guard?”

“I guess I look pretty different without the, uh, chrome dome, huh?” Benrey mutters, finally tugging the ribbon into place. “How’s that feel, shortstack?”

“Good.” As Benrey stands back up, Joshua turns around and lifts his arms. Benrey gets the hint quick enough and hoists Joshua up into his arms, letting Joshua fiddle with the buttons on his dress shirt as the two of them keep looking at paintings. Joshua smiles to himself as he realizes he finally found Daddy’s security guard like he’d wanted to do way back when Daddy still lived in his apartment. 

They barely get through with one wall of paintings when Joshua hears what sounds like a very small bell ringing, louder than the noise of people murmuring among themselves. Benrey carries Joshua to the main area of the gallery, where Daddy and Forzen stand in the middle of an open area, Forzen holding a fancy glass in one hand and a pen in the other. Once the last of the talking dies down, Forzen clears his throat.

“The gallery would like to thank everyone who could make it out here tonight! We’re pleased to be hosting an artist as talented as Dr. Gordon Freeman!” Daddy waves shyly at the applause that breaks out, and Forzen continues as soon as it fades. “Dr. Freeman hasn’t been an artist for very long, but I think his talent shows itself in the artwork you’ll see tonight. But unfortunately, I’ll have to bore everyone with an opening speech.” The crowd laughs at that and Joshua sees Benrey roll his eyes.

“I don’t like him either.” Joshua whispers and Benrey smiles at him, gently knocking their foreheads together.

“Good taste, lil man. I dunno if they starched his suit too much or if he’s just always that stiff.”

“Why do they starch suits?” Joshua asks, but Benrey shushes him as Forzen starts talking once again.

“I actually met Dr. Freeman before his artistic career started, under less than savory conditions. We both found ourselves trapped in Black Mesa after the Resonance Cascade a few years ago. I was a member of the military, and Dr. Freeman was one of the civilians who survived that disaster.

While we didn’t really talk during those frightening times, I’ve had more of a chance to learn about Gordon through talking with him and seeing his art. Indeed, he has one of the most… Captivating personalities I’ve ever seen. And it didn’t take me long to fall in love with him.” 

The rest of the crowd coos at Forzen’s confession, but Joshua squeaks in anger and leans forwards, Benrey only barely counterbalancing so Joshua doesn’t squirm right out of his arms.

“Whoa, whoa, Joshie, you gotta chill out! Don’t go flying off like a, uh, like a rocket just yet.” Joshua turns in Benrey’s arms and plants his hands on Benrey’s chest.

“Benrey, you gotta get out there and stop him! You’re supposed to be with Daddy, not him.”

“Joshua, listen to me.” Benrey’s voice is serious and Joshua blinks in surprise. “That’s not up to us, okay? That’s your dad’s choice, and if Forzen makes your dad happy, then I’m happy.”

“Don’t you love him?” Joshua whines and Benrey sighs.

“God, Joshie, more than you’ll ever know. And that’s why I gotta let him make his own choices. I ain’t gonna… Turn him into Pinocchio, pull his strings. Your dad would hate that.”

“Uh-huh.” Joshua mutters, but he sniffs and Benrey gently pulls Joshua’s head down so he can hide his face in Benrey’s shoulder. “I don’t want Forzen to marry Daddy.”

“Just wait.” Benrey mutters and the two of them finally tune back into Forzen’s speech, Joshua lifting his head back up.

“-So now that everyone’s fallen asleep from me telling them about our vacation, I just have one question.” Gasps break out as Forzen drops to one knee, setting the pen and glass down to pull a small black box out of his jacket and open it. “Gordon Freeman… Will you marry me?” Cheering breaks out and Joshua looks at Daddy, whose eyes are wide with shock, his mouth hanging open slightly. The cheering dies down, but Daddy still doesn’t move. Forzen looks at the crowd nervously before looking back at Daddy. “Uh, Gordon? Everyone’s kinda waiting on your answer here.”

“I can _ not  _ believe you!” Daddy explodes with anger and stalks forward, one finger pointing threateningly at Forzen, who has to crane his head back to look at Daddy. “You honestly think we have any sort of relationship? You think wanting to take all of my time for you when I have my son with me is the kind of thing any person who wants to end up with me would do? You think you can insult my family and get away with it? I should’ve kicked your teeth in when you got my address behind my back and showed up at my front door like a motherfucking stalker!”

“He did what.” Benrey asks lowly, but Joshua shushes him, trying to hear what else Daddy’s saying.

“You were part of the ‘crack team’ of bootlickers that cut my arm off! You ever heard of trauma, bitch? Well, I got that in spades!” Daddy lifts one leg, planting the heel of his foot against Forzen’s chest and pushing until Forzen falls onto his back, eyes wide with fear. “And!” He looks away from Forzen and up at the crowd. “And! If you all think this proposal was some cutesy thing? This man and I have never been on a single! Fucking! Date!” With that, Daddy whirls away from Forzen, eyes still bright with rage. Joshua waves to him in the crowd and Daddy blinks, his eyes widening for a split second when he sees Benrey, before they’re narrowing once again.

“Uh oh.” Benrey mutters as Daddy stomps towards them. Wordlessly, Benrey hands Joshua over to his dad and tries to melt away into the crowd, but he’s quickly stopped by the death grip Daddy has on his tie, and Benrey almost stumbles as he’s dragged out of the gallery by Benrey, Joshua lifting himself up in his dad’s arm to blow a raspberry at Forzen, who’s still sprawled on the floor. Joshua hears someone start to laugh just as the doors of the gallery close behind them.

-

Daddy walks until they’re a block away from the gallery, in a little park that has a fountain, still flowing even in the cold weather.

“Bro, it took me way too long to regen the first time, if you’re gonna kill me again.” Benrey rasps, still being dragged around by his tie, and Daddy sighs angrily before he releases Benrey’s tie, both arms hoisting Joshua up into a more comfortable position.

“No, I’m not gonna-! Why would you-? No, that’s a stupid question, don’t answer that.” Daddy paces in short laps, still practically vibrating with anger. 

“Gordon, you gotta chill. Gonna have yourself a son smoothie here in a second.” Joshua nods and Daddy sighs as he sets Joshua down, agitatedly straightening out the skirt of Joshua’s dress.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Joshie, I just-”

“I’m glad you’re not gonna marry Forzen.” Joshua interrupts him and Daddy laughs.

“No, I’m definitely not. You can stop worrying about that.”

“So…” Benrey rocks back onto the heels of his feet and awkwardly coughs into his fist. “Should I just go? Let your rage meter drop a lil bit?”

“Why didn’t you tell us you were alive?” Daddy asks and Benrey sighs.

“Oh, we’re doing this now, damn.” He looms over Daddy without meaning to, but Daddy seems unafraid, still almost a head shorter than Benrey even with his heels. “You killed me.”

“You tried to kill me first!” Daddy snaps and Benrey scoffs. That just enrages Daddy once again and he gestures to his amputated arm. “I could’ve died, Benrey! I thought we were a team! I thought you had my back!”

“I didn’t know they were gonna cut your arm off.” Benrey spits. “That was- I was trying to get to you the whole time, Gor- uh, Feetman.”

“But… No, that’s not right. You all watched it happen. Bubby told me that that was what I got.” Daddy deflates like a popped balloon and takes a tiny step back. “You all just… Watched them c-cut off my-” Daddy chokes back a sob and Benrey goes stiff, reaching out to him.

“...Gordon. I don’t know what you’re talking about. They nabbed you as soon as you went in that room. I thought we were trying to find someone who could get rid of the… The, uh, bug infestation in the suit.”

“I heard you, though. None of you helped me.” Daddy’s crying now and Joshua doesn’t know what to do, so he runs forward and into his dad’s arms, letting Daddy scoop him up, Benrey watching worriedly.

“I tried. I… I think your brain made up hearing us. Or, fuck, I dunno, Gordon, I’m not super smart like you.”

“But… But then why were you harassing me about my passport the whole time?” Daddy asks, and Benrey shrugs.

“I wanted to make you chill. But I took the joke too far, that was a bad move on Benny’s part, take one of my good noodle stars off the chart.”

“The- the monster at the end?”

“...Black Mesa security dog.” Benrey looks away at that and undoes the cuff on one sleeve, rolling it back to show where there’s a thin strip of black glass in his skin. He holds it up to let Joshua run his fingers over it, and Daddy slowly does the same, Benrey’s other hand gently coming up to keep Daddy’s hand on the glass. “That’s why. Why I didn’t come- why I didn’t tell you I was alive. I was- I’m a monster.” Benrey chuckles, but there’s no happiness in it. “Black Mesa’s very own Frankenstein’s Monster, alien edition 2.0.”

“You’re not a monster.” Joshua says and Benrey sighs.

“Thanks, Joshie. Maybe someday I’ll actually believe that.”

“...I’m sorry.” Daddy mutters and Benrey grips his wrist a little tighter. 

“Don’t-”

“No, no, I need to say it. Please, Benrey.” He hesitates for a moment, but then nods, letting go of Daddy’s wrist. Daddy takes a deep breath and straightens his back. “Black Mesa, it was… Twenty different kinds of bad. And yeah, I was stressed as all Hell. But I never should’ve blamed you. You were trying to help, to… To live your own life. And I killed you.”

“It’s… I forgive you.” Carefully, slowly, Benrey cups Daddy’s face in his hands. “I let you hurt me, I wanted to get you out of Black Mesa.”

“Well, we’re out.” Daddy laughs and presses his head into Benrey’s touch. “So… No more leaving. And no more self-sacrificial bullshit, okay?”

“I promise.” Benrey whispers and Daddy smiles at him, soft and peaceful, even with tear tracks still on his face. Joshua looks between the two of them.

“If you two are gonna kiss, can I be put down?” He asks and Benrey and Daddy both break into laughter, Joshua giggling at their laughter. Benrey’s hands drop away from Daddy’s face.

“I don’t think we’re there just yet.” Daddy murmurs and Benrey nods in agreement, reaching out so Joshua can latch onto his hand. “But… We’ll keep your request in mind for when- if it happens, okay?”

“Okay.” Joshua nods and fiddles with the skirt of his dress. “Can we do McDonald’s for dinner?”

“Oh, I want nuggets.” Benrey grins and Daddy looks between him and Joshua before he sighs and tilts his head back.

“Why do I feel a sense of impending doom?”

“Gee, that sounds like a you problem.” Benrey easily lifts Joshua from Daddy’s grip and Joshua squeals with laughter. “We better go get the rest of the nerds.”

“You’re a nerd, too, you know.” Daddy grouses but he’s smiling as he pulls his heels off and follows Benrey back towards the gallery.

**Author's Note:**

> Here we are at the end. Thank you for coming on this ride with me and for all the support and love. I hope you enjoyed the fic, thank you once again for reading!


End file.
